Drew Dilkens

Andrew "Drew" Dilkens is a Canadian politician, who is currently serving as mayor of Windsor, Ontario. He was elected mayor in the city's 2014 municipal election.[1]

His Worship

Drew Dilkens
34th Mayor of Windsor, Ontario
Assumed office
December 1, 2014
Preceded byEddie Francis
Personal details
Born
Andrew Dilkens

1972
Windsor, Ontario
NationalityCanadian
Spouse(s)Jane Deneau
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Windsor
Wayne State University
International School of Management (ISM)
ProfessionLawyer
Websitewww.mayordrewdilkens.ca

Early life and education

Dilkens has a bachelor of commerce degree and a law degree from the University of Windsor, as well as a Masters in Business Administration from Wayne State University and a doctorate in business administration from the International School of Management.[2]

Career

Prior to his election to the mayoralty, Dilkens worked as a labour and employment lawyer, having been called to the bar in 2012.[3] He represented Ward 1 on Windsor City Council [3] from 2006 to 2014.

He ran largely on a campaign of continuing the policy agenda of outgoing mayor Eddie Francis.[1]

Controversies

Occupy Windsor

During the 2011 Occupy Movement, an encampment in Windsor supported between 25-50 protestors for two months. In opposition to other city officials, who did not want to cause trouble with the protestors, Dilkens (then a city councillor) strongly supported forcing the encampment to evacuate, and threatened to "lodge a formal complaint about the protesters not abiding by a bylaw requiring them to get a permit". He stated to CBC news that "they've had their 15 minutes," and he would "like to see them gone, because I don't think their message is coherent."[4]

Stance on Homelessness and Panhandling

As a city councillor, Dilkens attracted media attention and criticism by proposing “no panhandling” zones, describing panhandlers as “accosting, annoying, and interfering.” Local charity and social workers criticized the move as “dehumanizing” and failing to address or understand poverty.[5]

In 2019, Mayor Dilkens was asked by local reporters his stance on overdose prevention sites, which had been set up by local social workers to help combat the opioid epidemic. In response, Dilkens, who strongly opposed the sites, said "It's not even worth it" to comment on them.[6] In a separate 2018 interview, Dilkens stated "We don't fund addictions". He was criticized by local community workers for spreading misinformation about the connection between addiction and homelessness. It was suggested that the city invest more in affordable housing and support for local shelters, due to the large backlog at the city-funded homeless shelters.[7]

Urban Sprawl and the "Mega-Hospital" Plan

In 2014, a grassroots group called “Citizens for an Accountable Mega-Hospital Planning Process” (CAMPP) was formed to appeal decisions to amalgamate local healthcare into a “Mega-Hospital”, located on the outskirts of the city, a plan supported by Dilkens. CAMPP, claiming thousands of supporters, promoted community involvement in the decision-making process, and “financially, socially and environmentally responsible sound urban planning principles”. CAMPP expressed concerns that the planned hospital would fail to meet the needs of the urban core populations, instead focusing on a plan for urban sprawl that centres new suburban developments.[8] CAMPP also stressed a lack of consultation with Indigenous locals.[9]

A long process of deliberations and public appeals by CAMPP ensued over the following years.[10] When the Downtown Windsor BIA contributed to CAMPP's campaign, Dilkens threatened to dissolve the organization.[11] In 2019, Dilkens was criticized for social media comments which appeared to dismiss vandalism perpetrated against one of the CAMPP supporters.[12]

Environmental Issues

In 2015, a petition garnering 12,000 signatures urged Mayor Dilkens to retract municipal approval for a commercial development near the Ojibway Prairie Complex. Local environmental advocates, including an activist group called Save Ojibway, argued that the development would threaten local wildlife and damage the adjacent nature reserve.[13] Dilkens did not respond to the petition, and the municipal board rejected appeals by citizens on the re-zoning of the land.

In 2017, Dilkens rejected a related proposal to close Matchette Road, which runs between Ojibway Park and the Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve. Citizen groups proposed that closing the road would drastically reduce wildlife deaths from traffic. The council rejected the motion, with Dilkens' support. Dilkens stated: "To move forward with closure of Matchette Road at this time would certainly have put this corporation in a great deal of jeopardy". During the council meeting, security personnel removed several citizens who voiced their objection to a presentation by developer CoCo Paving.[14]

Flooding Infrastructure and City Lights Spending

In 2017, Dilkens was criticized for promoting a $3 million dollar project to create a Christmas lights display, in the wake of massive city-wide flooding which caused widespread damage. Critics claimed the city was responsible for the flooding by not properly investing in infrastructure, pressuring the city to re-invest the lights display fund. Dilkens dismissed the critics, stating: “There will be folks who will criticize lots of different decisions”.[15] However, council eventually voted to roll back the budget of the Christmas display to $1.5 million.[16][17]

Eviction of Windsor Pride

In 2017 Dilkens approved a move to end the tenancy of Windsor Pride, an LGBT+ nonprofit, from a city-owned property. The property was to be converted into parking spaces. The move was criticized by many in the local LGBT+ community. Windsor Pride Director Bob Williams stressed that the organization did not have the time or funds to find an alternative location that was suitable.[18] Dilkens opposed the council's later decision to pay for the moving costs of the organization.[19]

References
  1. "Drew Dilkens elected as next mayor of Windsor". CBC News, October 27, 2014.
  2. "About Mayor Drew Dilkens". www.citywindsor.ca. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  3. "Drew Dilkens to run for mayor of Windsor". CBC News, August 5, 2014.
  4. "Coun. Dilkens says Occupy Windsor 'had their 15 minutes'". CBC News. November 28, 2011. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  5. "Councillor's call for 'no panhandling' zones worries Homeless Coalition". Windsor Star. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  6. "'It's not even worth it': Windsor mayor won't discuss overdose prevention sites" (video). CBC News. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  7. "Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says homelessness solutions need provincial funds". CBC News. December 21, 2018. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  8. "About CAMP P". CAMPP | Citizens for an Accountable Megahospital Planning Process. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020.
  9. "CAMPP outlines issues as first day of mega-hospital hearings conclude". CBC News Windsor. October 8, 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  10. "Mega-Hospital Timeline". CBC News Windsor. December 3, 2019.
  11. Campbell, Taylor (May 18, 2019). "Dilkens warns business groups over support of mega-hospital appeal". The Windsor Star. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020.
  12. Chen, Dalson (November 1, 2019). "Mayor's online comments on Windsor-Essex mega-hospital debate called 'inappropriate'". The Windsor Star. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020.
  13. "Ojibway development petition trying to halt big box development". 11 December 2015. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017.
  14. "Council votes against closing Matchette Road after emotional meeting". 9 May 2017.
  15. "'We're managing': Mayor says 300 basements, 'significant' number of roads flooded - CBC News". 29 August 2017.
  16. "City organizers estimate 60,000 people visit Bright Lights Windsor". Windsor. January 10, 2018.
  17. "Mayor: City Will Scale Back $3M Jackson Park Lights Project Following Floods - CBC News". 5 September 2017.
  18. "Deadline Looming For Windsor Pride". June 19, 2017.
  19. Média, Bell (13 April 2017). "Dilkens Concerned With Windsor Pride Accommodation". www.iheartradio.ca.
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