Amherstburg policing feud boils over as council defends ending talks with Windsor

Dispute stemmed from private meeting with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens to discuss police contract.

Amherstburg councillors publicly defended their decision Monday to stop pursuing a new policing deal with Windsor, arguing the city had already made clear it no longer wanted the contract and that taxpayers deserved a different solution. The lengthy, and at times heated discussion, offered residents a detailed explanation of why a majority of council voted in camera against reopening discussions with Windsor. While most councillors said reopening talks would waste time and money, others argued the town owed residents one final price from Windsor before choosing other options.

A previous debate during council’s regular meeting June 23 prompted Mayor Michael Prue to introduce a motion asking the in-camera direction council provided on policing be made public at its July 13 meeting. The dispute stemmed from a recent meeting involving Coun. Linden Crain, Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb and Dilkens, who also serves as chair of the Windsor Police Services Board.

The issue prompted accusations of “secret meetings,” questions about council’s handling of confidential information and, ultimately, a failed motion asking for the town’s integrity commissioner to investigate the conduct of the two councillors. Just more than a year after Amherstburg council approved a five-year renewal of its contract with the Windsor Police Service in late 2023, the City of Windsor advised the town it wanted out at the end of its term Jan. 1, 2029. After Windsor refused Amherstburg’s request for a voting seat on the Windsor Police Services Board, the town ended negotiations last August and began examining alternatives, including creating its own police service or contracting with the Ontario Provincial Police.

A proposal to create a regional police service also failed to gain support among Essex County municipalities, while LaSalle later determined it could not expand its police service into Amherstburg because of timing and resource constraints. Coun. Don McArthur said his decision to reject further discussions with the city was driven by the numbers, not emotion.

McArthur said annual policing costs under the Windsor contract had risen from about $5.5 million in 2021 to roughly $7.3 million this year — increases he argued outpaced inflation. “Windsor told us they can’t make the numbers work,” he told council. “They want more.

They want to give us the same, and they want more.” Based on those increases, McArthur estimated policing costs with Windsor could climb to at least $8.6 million by 2029. “We know the cost of Windsor police,” he said.

“And to say we don’t know the cost of Windsor police, I don’t agree with it because we know the minimum. “Money that would be shoveled to the City of Windsor, I want spent in the Town of Amherstburg.” Prue also defended council’s decision, arguing Windsor made its intentions clear when it formally notified Amherstburg it would not renew the policing agreement.

Prue said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens never contacted him directly after sending the notice to reopen discussions. “He has never once talked to me on anything since this date,” Prue said. “He may talk to Coun.

Crain, he may send notes with Coun. Crain to give to council, but he has never sent anything to me or council as a whole.” Prue said he would not support returning to Windsor to seek another proposal, arguing the town had already explored every available policing option.

However, Gibb said council broke a promise by refusing to obtain a price from Windsor. “We promised the people of Amherstburg that we were going to look into every possible option, and we have broken that promise,” he said. “I’m not saying that I would vote for Windsor or . . .

vote for OPP. But we aren’t even asking the question.” Crain said he initially supported ending discussions with Windsor but later changed his view after speaking with residents and hearing city officials remained open to negotiations.

“I’m not in favour of Windsor, OPP or Amherstburg until I can look and say: Here are all the options,” Crain said. “I want to see a price from Windsor.” Monday’s discussion also featured repeated exchanges between councillors Pouget and Crain over the meeting with Dilkens.

Pouget questioned why Crain and Gibb met with Windsor’s mayor after council had already rejected further negotiations and accused them of placing the rest of council “in a very vulnerable situation.” Crain rejected the criticism. “I don’t need anyone’s permission to meet with anyone,” he said, adding that gathering information is part of a councillor’s job.

“It’s not a secret meeting.” Later in the meeting, Pouget moved that council ask the town’s integrity commissioner to investigate whether Crain and Gibb violated any rules after meeting with Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens to discuss policing. Crain called the proposed investigation “frivolous” and said he had “done nothing wrong.”

“If anybody thinks I did anything wrong, come at me now, because I’m going to tell you this was done right,” Gibb added. “I will wear it as a badge of honour because I wanted to have this public conversation, and we got this public conversation.” McArthur and Coun.

Molly Allaire opposed the request, saying the public debate had already aired the facts and an investigation would not be a good use of taxpayer money. Council defeated the motion 5-2. Related Private meeting with Windsor mayor fuels Amherstburg policing dispute Amherstburg councillor wants to revisit Windsor police contract, but mayor says no Amherstburg studies policing alternatives after Windsor pulls out of contract Council also rejected a motion to defer the policing matter entirely to the next council after administration advised an OPP resource plan is expected in September.

Valerie Critchley, the town’s chief administrative officer, said staff intends to bring the OPP proposal to council for direction on public consultation rather than a final decision because the municipality will likely be in the “lame duck” period following October’s municipal election. That consultation, she said, would help ensure the next council has the information needed to make the final policing decision within the OPP’s six-month approval window. mholmeshill@postmedia.com