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windsor mayor blasts ottawa refusal to cover $900k bridge blockade cost shortfall
windsor mayor drew dilkens is calling the federal gover...
dec 12 2023
3 minute read
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windsor mayor drew dilkens is calling the federal government’s refusal to cover $900,000 in costs stemming from the ambassador bridge blockade one of the “most offensive things” he’s seen in his 17 years at the council table.
in response to a september letter from the federal public safety minister indicating the blockade funding shortfall, a roiled city council on monday voted unanimously to further advocate for full reimbursement.
“this letter is a middle finger to the people in our community,” said dilkens.
liberal minister dominic leblanc’s letter said he is “happy to advise” that public safety canada would soon issue the city $6,094,915 to help cover “extraordinary expenses incurred in dealing with and ending the illegal blockade” in february 2022.
the letter calls the reimbursement an “extraordinary measure” to support windsor residents, “and ensure their taxes are not ultimately rerouted to bear costs” from the blockade. but it fails to mention any funding shortfall.
“in my time as mayor, in my time on city council, i’ve never been more offended, quite frankly, than receiving this letter,” dilkens told council on monday.
“they’re saying, ‘you pick up (nearly) a million dollars in costs’ when at the municipal level, we were required to provide an immediate response for an incident that clearly was not a municipal issue.”
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dilkens said it’s “not right” and “unfair” to put $900,000 “on the backs of the taxpayers.”
in a phone interview following council’s meeting, mp irek kusmierczyk (l — windsor-tecumseh) told the star monday night he respectfully disagrees with the mayor.
“this is a mischaracterization of a partnership,” kusmiercyzk said.
“we said that we were going to reimburse the city up to $6.9 million for eligible costs. that was always clear.
“this is not a federal area of jurisdiction. this is a provincial area of jurisdiction, but we stepped up, we knew that it was the right thing to do. we are a good partner.”
regardless, kusmierczyk said he will continue to advocate for additional funding to cover the city’s outstanding blockade costs.
according to a city staff report, finalized costs relating to the bridge blockade totalled just shy of $7 million. the majority of those expenses stemmed from policing and legal fees, with the rest coming from public works, transit windsor, emergency medical services, fire and rescue services, parks and facilities, and communications.
‘middle finger to the people in our community.’ windsor mayor drew dilkens is seen during city council’s meeting on monday, dec. 11, 2023.
taylor campbell
/
windsor star
in december 2022, then-minister of public safety marco mendicino announced up to $6.9 million in funding to cover the city’s blockade-related costs, including for policing.
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three months later, city staff were contacted by public safety canada and asked to provide further explanation for the costs incurred. following its review, the federal entity advised city staff that the funding could not exceed the previously announced $6.9 million, leaving a $ 95,406 shortfall, the windsor city report said.
the september letter from leblanc to the mayor’s office announced that the federal government had approved almost $6.1 million to assist windsor.
city staff were informed that only half of the city’s $1,780,982 in legal fees were being covered. in addition, the city’s request for $10,000 to compensate for foregone transit revenue was not approved.
kusmierczyk said the federal government has made $15 billion in investment in windsor in the last couple of years, including with the battery plant, the gordie howe international bridge, housing and more.
“there is no city in the entire country that has received this level of commitment and partnership from the federal government,” kusmierczyk told the star. “the mayor is mischaracterizing this wholeheartedly.”
“we are a great partner with the city.”
during monday’s meeting, ward 6 coun. jo-anne gignac called it an “abomination that the citizens of windsor are going to have to pick up almost a million dollars.” she said the government of canada should be paying the city of windsor a fee for hosting the border crossing on a municipal roadway beyond what it gives the city for maintaining huron church road.
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“this has gone on the backs of the citizens of windsor for decades. this is just no, no, no.”
ward 8 coun. gary kaschak, who requested that council renew its funding request to the feds, said the federal government “is taking our border crossing for granted.”
the ambassador bridge blockade saw protesters angry about covid-19 mandates cut off access to the busiest border crossing in north america for a week in february 2022. hundreds of police officers, including many brought in from outside windsor, were deployed to dismantle the blockade.
the protesters’ shutdown of the bridge, north america’s busiest commercial crossing, triggered local job layoffs and temporary factory closures.
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