Andrew Dilkens

Andrew Dilkens has served as Mayor of Windsor since 2014 — over a decade governing Canada's southernmost major city through some of the most significant economic transitions in its history. Windsor's economy has been built around auto manufacturing for generations, and the shift to electric vehicles represents both the city's greatest economic opportunity and its most dangerous disruption. On the opportunity side: the Stellantis-LG NextStar battery plant — a $5 billion investment that is among the largest manufacturing investments in Canadian history — is located in Windsor-Essex. This was secured with enormous provincial and federal subsidies but represents real, long-term manufacturing employment that will shape the city's economy for decades. Dilkens lobbied for this investment and deserves some credit for Windsor's positioning. On the challenge side: Windsor's housing market has experienced rapid price increases as the city's economic profile rises. Dilkens's government has not adequately planned for the workforce housing that will be needed to support a significant manufacturing expansion. Infrastructure — roads, transit, utilities — has not kept pace with the investment momentum. The Gordie Howe International Bridge project, while federal and provincial, has required city coordination on traffic and development planning that has been uneven. Windsor families dealing with housing costs that have risen significantly in the last five years, roads in disrepair, and a city government that seems more focused on ribbon-cuttings than on the day-to-day services that determine quality of life deserve a mayor who can manage both ambition and maintenance simultaneously.