Our campaign reflects the needs, priorities and concerns of residents across Windsor. When I announced my intentions to run for Mayor several weeks ago, I made community engagement a priority. Before making my platform priorities public, my team and I wanted to hear directly from residents, business owners, labour representatives, and community leaders about the challenges they are facing, what matters most to them, and what change they want to see for the future of our city. Those conversations have helped shape the priorities of this campaign and reinforced the importance of leadership that is responsive and connected to the community. I look forward to continuing these conversations throughout the campaign and beyond. Residents deserve to have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect their families, neighbourhoods and community. Making Windsor better requires working together, staying focused on the issues that matter most, and ensuring the people we serve remain at the centre of the decisions we make.
Open, Accountable & Responsible City Hall
Windsor City Hall should be open, accessible and accountable to the people it serves. City Councillors must be empowered and more involved in the decision-making process that governs our city. More action will be taken to ensure residents are informed and active participants in the decisions that affect them. Finally, members of the media must have fair and appropriate access to elected officials in order to hold them accountable for the decisions they make and help keep the public informed.
- Eliminate Strong Mayor Powers.
- Establish a Blue-Ribbon Committee of residents, community organizations, businesses and labour representatives to review the city’s committee and board structures.
- Move regular City Council meetings to a 4:00 pm start time, with in-camera meetings held beforehand.
- Publish detailed descriptions of in-camera meeting agendas.
- Conduct an annual audit of in-camera meeting agendas to ensure all items comply with Section 239 of the Ontario Municipal Act.
- Report all in-camera decisions publicly at the next regular City Council meeting.
- Release in-camera agendas earlier to allow for meaningful public review.
- Include City Councillors in agenda-setting process.
- Hold monthly meetings with each City Councillor, followed by media availability.
- Hold monthly news conferences at City Hall, with an open question period.
- Publish all City Council voting results online in a clear and easily accessible format.
- Review and overhaul the city’s website to make it more user-friendly and accessible to residents and businesses seeking information, including third party reviews to incorporate best practices.
- Change City Council Procedural By-law to ensure delegates listed to speak on public session items are able to do so, regardless of any motion to refer or defer the item.
- Provide City Councillors with greater communication resources to better respond to residents’ questions and concerns.
- Hold an annual State of the City Address with Mayor and City Council each January, free of charge and open to the public.
- Hold an annual public meeting with City Council, Members of Parliament and Members of Provincial Parliament each November.
- Keep City Hall open and accessible to members of the public, media and staff.
- Establish an Emerging Leaders Youth Council chaired by the mayor.
Hold an annual strategic session with City Council and administration to ensure priorities are set, progress is measured and follow-up occurs. - Publicly disclose the total amount of taxpayer money used for pre and post legal settlements, salary continuances, employee contracts, and employment-related severance payments.
Plan's Benefits:
- Makes Windsor City Hall more open and accessible to the public and media.
- Expands public participation in municipal government by creating more opportunities for residents to engage and have their voices heard.
- Encourages young people and emerging leaders to learn about and participate in municipal government.
- Strengthens transparency and accountability by providing greater access to information about Council decisions, in-camera meetings, voting records, and the use of taxpayer dollars.
- Empowers City Councillors to better serve their communities by providing them with resources and opportunities needed to carry out their elected responsibilities.
Jobs, Taxes, & Economic Growth
Taxes & Spending at Windsor City Hall: We need to consider the full city bill residents and businesses are paying and put an end to out-of-control spending at City Hall. My plan puts residents first by investing in our priorities, reducing our debt, increasing our reserves and spending your tax dollars responsibly. My plan will:
- Review the full “City Hall Bill” annually paid by residents and businesses, including property taxes, user fees, utility bills, permit charges, licensing fees, and other municipal fees to ensure affordability.
- Review the new Stormwater Financing Plan annually to ensure all necessary rebates and incentives are paid to residents and businesses.
- No New Taxes. Fund the Asset Management Plan (AMP) with existing capital dollars in the 10-year budget and beyond, along with grants and funding from senior levels of government. Windsor taxpayers were burdened with a new Asset Management Tax of 1.1% in 2020 which then increased by 0.25% in 2023, adding a total of $41 million to the existing base budget moving forward.
- Hold the line on taxes, after increases of 20% since 2014 and 9% since 2022, by measuring spending at the rate of inflation and not a blended rate of inflation that masks overspending.
- Use a Pay-As-You-Go Strategy to avoid unnecessary debt and high interest costs that put additional pressure on property taxes and reduce capital funding.
- Reduce the city’s debt from the $130 million in 2026, which is up from $104 million in 2014 ($26 million increase).
- Increase the city’s financial reserves to provide greater financial flexibility to support local and Canadian purchasing and fund Community Improvement Plans (CIPs) that support local businesses and neighbourhood improvements.
- No more costly legacy capital projects, like the trolley beacon project (approx. $10 million) and City Hall ice rink (approx. $15 million) that were both over budget.
- Put residents at the centre of the budget process by using People-Based Budgeting and eliminating the Strong Mayor Powers budgeting process.Put City Councillors back into the budget creation process alongside the Mayor and Administration.
Job Creation & Economic Growth: Job creation and economic growth must be top priorities at Windsor City Hall at a time of tariff threats and economic uncertainty. We need to support our local workers and businesses while creating the necessary conditions to attract new investments, large and small. My plan will:
- Support a Buy Windsor Local Initiative by ensuring local job market benefits are considered when evaluating requests for proposals to the city.
- Create a Windsor-Essex business registry with neighbouring municipalities to make it easier for residents to find and support local businesses.
- Reduce the tax burden on commercial and industrial businesses to encourage investment and job creation.
- Provide tax incentive programs that support business growth, development and improvement across Windsor.
- Deliver full online building and planning services so residents and businesses can apply for permits and access services without unnecessary red tape.
- Review permitting and licensing process at City Hall to reduce red tape, and track feedback through 311.
- Set clear permit timelines so residents and businesses can plan and budget accordingly.
- Expand support for small businesses and start-ups through programs that help entrepreneurs launch, grow and create jobs in Windsor.
- Diversify Windsor’s economy by supporting growth in renewable energy, technology, health sciences, aerospace and tourism sectors.
- Support workforce skills development and promote Windsor to investors regionally, nationally and globally.
- Expand air, sea and rail transportation and build a coalition of mayors along the 401 corridor from Windsor to Toronto to champion high-speed rail and improve the movement of people and goods across Ontario and Canada.
- Improve services at Windsor International Airport by working to expand direct flight options, including more convenient connections to Toronto.
- Invest in Transit Windsor to improve travel across city and region.
- Establish a Chief Innovation Officer position to oversee digital improvements, operational efficiencies, manage artificial intelligence policy and foster new growth and entrepreneurial opportunities in Windsor.
- Position Windsor as a hub for senior-government procurement opportunities.
Plan's Benefits:
- Reduces the total “City Hall Bill” paid by residents and businesses.
- Cuts unnecessary red tape at City Hall.
- Makes it easier to do business by improving digital services at City Hall.
- Focuses spending on key priorities instead of costly legacy projects.
- Creates a more open and inclusive budget process that gives residents a greater voice.
- Ends unnecessary overspending at City Hall immediately.
- Positions Windsor for future success by attracting investment, creating jobs and growing our economy.
Windsor and Region Transit Service Enhancements
Windsor’s public transit service needs to reflect the needs of our residents, students and businesses. This means current transit routes need to be functional as well as practical for people to use on a daily basis. My plan will improve public transit in Windsor and surrounding region by:
- Re-Establishing the Transit Board of Directors
- Maintaining Windsor’s connection to Detroit and bringing back the Tunnel Bus.
- Extend Transit Route 1000 into 2027 for Vincent Massey Public High School and Holy Names Catholic High School students and families. Work to negotiate a permanent deal to keep the service in partnership with the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board and Greater Essex County District School Board.
- Explore opportunities to expand regional transit services across Essex County.
- Cap Transit Windsor fees for at least two years to ensure greater affordability for those who rely on the service.
- Review Windsor’s Transit Master Plan with more public consultations.
- Align Windsor’s Transit Master Plan’s objectives with those of the Canadian Public Transit Fund so that our city can receive greater funding for service enhancements from senior levels of government.
Plan's Benefits:
- Re-establishes Tunnel Bus and Special Event Service with the City of Detroit.
- Provides needed public transit service for students and families.
- Allows for greater regional cooperation, connectivity and cost sharing.
- Provides more employment and economic opportunity for individuals and businesses.
- Ensures affordability for transit users with a cap on fees for two years.
- Attracts greater funding from senior levels of government so that we can provide more public transit service enhancements.
Downtown Windsor Revitalization Plan
1. Safer Streets
- Establish a Downtown Safety and Outreach Command Unit, led by a Director who reports weekly to the Mayor. This Unit will coordinate with Mobile Crisis Response Teams consisting of local police, mental health services workers, and Essex-Windsor EMS.
- Designate the downtown core and riverfront as a priority enforcement zone within the city.
- Launch a Clean and Safe Streets Ambassadors Program in the downtown core.
- Establish a 311-To-Response guarantee so residents receive timely responses to reports of people in crisis, discarded needles, unsafe conditions and other urgent concerns, with clear service standards and response times.
- Increased mental health and addiction treatment capacity through additional funding for HART Hubs model in Windsor, treatment beds, with wraparound and treatment supports so people can access help when and where they need it.
2. Coordinated Support and Responsible Discharge
- Establish a Mayor’s Downtown Roundtable connecting diverse stakeholder groups to coordinate action and measure progress on downtown revitalization.
- Track and publicly report shelter intake data, including the number of individuals who are non-Windsor residents.
- Facilitate “no discharge to the street” protocols with hospitals, correctional institutions, and the Province so individuals are released with a confirmed destination and appropriate transportation and supports rather than being released into homelessness.
- Establish a voluntary Reconnection Program, where individuals who choose to return to family, housing or established supports in their home communities do so safely.
3. A More Livable, Enhanced Downtown
- Expand Housing First Initiatives through more affordable housing with wraparound and treatment supports to help individuals experiencing homelessness secure stable housing and build a path toward long-term stability.
- Establish a new permanent Downtown Central Library.
- Invest in downtown parks, expanding programming, amenities and recreational opportunities with initial focus on Bruce, Mitchell and Wigle parks focusing on safety.
- Expand support for downtown arts and culture, including public art, cultural programming, performances and community events.
4. Bring People And Investment Back Downtown
- Build a Downtown Community Improvement Plan that delivers results, with incentives tied to redevelopment, business growth and revitalization of vacant and underused properties.
- Offer new tax-increment grants and property improvement incentives to attract private investment and redevelopments to the downtown core.
- Launch an Office-to-Residential Conversion Program.
- Maintain the Downtown as a development-charge-free zone to encourage new investment.
- Make it more efficient to build by pre-zoning the downtown core for as-of-right density, eliminating parking minimums and establishing a dedicated Downtown Development Concierge with set municipal permit timeframes.
- Tackle vacancy and derelict properties through stronger mandatory property standards enforcement for absentee owners of neglected buildings and storefronts.
- Establish a Pop-Up Lease Program so empty storefronts are filled with local businesses and incentives for short term leases to encourage entrepreneurships.
- Package city owned properties and issue competitive calls for mixed-use proposals with public-benefit conditions.
- Collaborate with the University of Windsor and St. Clair College to expand programs, student activity, and institutional presence downtown.
- Appoint a Downtown Economy Lead responsible for coordinating business attraction, investment, and activation initiatives, including a mandate to engage with the City of Detroit.
- Create a year-round downtown experience through extended patios, winter programming, improved street lighting, a better Tunnel Bus connection, and a Riverfront-to-Ouellette pedestrian experience that feels continuous.
- Connect districts through coordinated programming. Build on successful initiatives such as Taste of Walkerville by creating complementary downtown programming and connecting participating districts through Transit Windsor shuttle buses.
- Launch a unified Windsor Dining Campaign that markets downtown, Walkerville, Via Italia and Ottawa Street together as Windsor’s walkable dining destination, supported by a shared Restaurant Week and targeted promotion to the Detroit market.
Plan's Benefits:
- Strengthens coordinated responses to homelessness, mental health and addiction by connecting people with appropriate treatment, housing and community supports.
- Attracts new residents, businesses and private investment by reducing barriers to development and bringing vacant and underused properties back to life.
- Brings more people and activity Downtown year-round through arts, culture, dining, events, and improved connections to the Riverfront and surrounding districts.