Thread by @jonliedtke

Drew Dilkens says he should remain mayor of Windsor because he's 'Leadership that Delivers' while his opponent is 'Risky and Radical'.

Let's take a look back in a thread 🧵

“Some folks are saying that I left in the middle of a global pandemic. I left like five days before it was even declared a global pandemic...”
windsorstar.com/news/local-new…

Dilkens ordered Transit Windsor's suspension; the only city in North America to do so.

“I recognize that despite the health warnings & advice, many in our community still rely on Transit Windsor for their daily needs. But...as Mayor of Windsor..."
iheartradio.ca/am800/news/upd…

The closure of Transit Windsor was condemned by the Amalgamated Transit Union which said "The Mayor has acted against the advice of the Chief Health Officers for the Province and Country"
atucanada.ca/press-releases…

Indeed, The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit didn't recommend shuttering public transit & said in a statement in response to the closure that Transit Windsor was an "important mode of transportation that could be offered with necessary precautions."
windsor.ctvnews.ca/activists-stag…

In response to the unilateral closure of public transit in Windsor by Drew Dilkens, riders, transit workers, city councillors, & both Windsor's MPPs @LGretzky & then Percy Hatfield all publicly voiced concerns & called on Dilkens to resume public transit.
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

Drew Dilkens doubled down & suggested that resuming public transit but keeping outdoor children's playgrounds closed would be unjust to "Little Madison" & that when people looked back on his decisions, he'd be judged accordingly.

So, judge him, I guess..
iheartradio.ca/am800/news/may…

Dilkens poetry:

"In a place called Wuhan a sleeping giant arose,
A deadly virus was travelling down that long silk road.
A country forced to lockdown, in & out only for food,
People were angry & confused, what exactly was the government trying to prove?"
mayordrewdilkens.ca/2020/05/06/a-p…

When Windsor-Essex was the last region in Ontario in Stage 1, Drew Dilkens mused about ignoring provincial legislation.

“If we don’t see any traction [on moving to Stage 2], it would be my recommendation to council that we don’t take any enforcement..."
windsor.ctvnews.ca/we-can-t-hang-…

When there was an “explosion” of COVID in the migrant worker community, Drew Dilkens undermined the Windsor Essex County Health Unit, & it wouldn't be the last time he did.

“I don’t think the health unit is plugged in enough on this issue,” Dilkens said.
windsor.ctvnews.ca/mayor-calls-on…

Still stuck in Stage 1, Dilkens again attacked the health unit.

"Rather than leadership, we are witnessing finger pointing & deflection...To just slam the health unit...listen you have to take a step back..." said WECHU chair & Tecumseh @mayormcnamara.
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

The public health unit was excluded from a public health migrant worker discussion.

Dilkens: "You can't get through the business in...time if you bring more people in.."

MoH Ahmed: "I'm not angry...I'm frustrated & I'm sad...our community can do better."
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

"When Covid first arrived here, only one thing was clear.

Stay away from all others – “don’t get too near”.

Canada’s top doc said don’t cover your face,

"It won’t do any good, there’s no scientific evidence in place.”"
windsor.ctvnews.ca/windsor-mayor-…

Hours after joining regional mayors to call for a "zero tolerance approach" to public health regulations, Drew Dilkens broke those regulations & dined out at a table for 8 when the most allowed was 6 under the yellow "protect" status Windsor Essex was in. cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

Drew Dilkens provided a community impact statement on "behalf of the entire city" during the sentencing hearing of a man convicted of second degree murder for brutally beating a senior, & inaccurately stated "Things like this...don't happen in Windsor".
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

Drew Dilkens drove a family member to a medical appointment in Detroit, crossed back to Canada at Sarnia & declared roughly $1,700 in goods shipped to a family member’s home stateside over the course of the pandemic, & was forced to quarantine, again.
windsor.ctvnews.ca/windsor-mayor-…

While in his second quarantine, Drew Dilkens launched campaign to fight for access to surplus Michigan COVID vaccine; deflecting attention from his second quarantine & making it look like his US trip may become normal.
blackburnnews.com/windsor/windso…

Continuing his campaign to access second doses of Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine from the U.S, Drew Dilkens decides to launch a vaccine waitlist.

Nobody ever heard anything about the vaccine waitlist after the idea fizzled out; lots of emails collected however!
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

Dilkens' Detroit Tunnel jab plan:

“We have the opportunity to walk people...to the border [&] paint a line...in the middle of the tunnel & bring people...to get vaccinated...on the Canadian side...& the US vaccinator pushing...vaccine...into...Canadians."
windsor.ctvnews.ca/windsor-mayor-…

Always love those "crazy" public health ideas during pandemic:

"Drew Dilkens says it's a crazy idea, but it just may work with Canadians staying in Canada while American pharmacists administer the shots from the U.S. side."
iheartradio.ca/am800/news/div…

Dilkens described the unorthodox plan as "not optimal"...
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

The Tunnel Corp approved of painting a line & did so, & Drew Dilkens got 6000 email addresses from the Detroit Windsor Tunnel Jab Plan.

“We’ve got 6,000 people who have signed up..."
windsor.ctvnews.ca/windsor-tunnel…

Drew Dilkens decided to remember the Canada Border Services Agency shuttering his Detroit Windsor Tunnel Jab Plan as "a lost opportunity."
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

Drew Dilkens injected himself into the centre of the 2021 federal election with a platform he wrote and he publicly challenged all candidates to support it.
blackburnnews.com/windsor/windso…

Drew Dilkens' smiling face was featured on a billboard with a 'Critcal' spelling error that was paid for by Windsor Regional Hospital from a campaign to recruit nurses to the region that for no reason included his imagery, & was illogically placed locally.
windsor.ctvnews.ca/critical-error…

"...white collar riders don't take the bus...because they...own a car & get...from one end of the city to the next in 15 minutes...I'm on Team Windsor...the Automotive Capital of Canada...we're doing all we can to help support...auto..."
-Drew Dilkens
iheartradio.ca/am800/news/cou…

Fluoride was added back in Windsor, Tecumseh, & LaSalle water systems in 2022 after council reversed a 2018 decision.

Drew Dilkens was one of three council members who were against bringing fluoride back.
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

At the end of the #AmbassadorBridgeBlockade, Drew Dilkens was forced to "reflect on his language" after being criticized for calling remaining protesters as "the last of the Mohicans...people who are saying they're willing to die for the cause."
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

After inserting himself into the 2021 federal election with his own list of priorities for candidates to pledge support of, Drew Dilkens did it again in the 2022 provincial election.
windsor.ctvnews.ca/windsor-mayor-…

Pivoting from seeking candidates to endorse his provincial platform, Drew Dilkens advocated for everyone in Windsor Essex to vote how he saw fit, and it didn't go over well.
windsor.ctvnews.ca/windsor-mayor-…

Drew Dilkens ordered the insertion of a promo insert, that looked like a campaign ad, in all Windsor tax bills & he didn't "apologize for communicating with the residents in my city & telling them about all the great things that are going on...".
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

Drew Dilkens was "really proud" that the 3-million dollar capital spend & hundreds of thousands of dollars annual publicly funded Bright Lights event beat out private events in the Canadian Special Events magazine's 2022 Canadian Event Awards Finalists.
iheartradio.ca/am800/news/win…

After local residents called on Drew Dilkens to reimburse taxpayers for the promotional advertisement included in Windsor tax bills, he refused to do so.
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

In 2014, then councillor Drew Dilkens asked city administration for a report on a downtown panhandling ban & staff consulted legal & came back to say it would be vulnerable to constitutional challenges.

So why not try it again in 2022, BUT AS MAYOR?
windsorstar.com/news/local-new…

Chris Holt says the city needs to rethink the way it invests to yield higher returns - something Markham and Whitby does to earn millions more - & some investors agree, but Drew Dilkens calls the idea risky and radical.
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

A $13.5-million federal grant to make the new Adie Knox centre Windsor’s greenest building was denied by the feds, & it was a surprise to Drew Dilkens, whose 2021 federal election platform called on all local candidates to pledge support for it.
windsorstar.com/news/local-new…

Remember when Drew Dilkens led the effort to oust then CAO Jason Reynar? It turned out the move contravened a city bylaw because they didn't provide a hearing he was entitled to before the dismissal.
Whoops.
cbc.ca/news/canada/wi…

Chris Holt wants to fast track elements of Windsor's Vision Zero Action Plan to reach the zero road crash fatalities & serious injuries on Windsor streets.

Drew Dilkens says implementing the plan would be "too risky" because of the "budget impact".
iheartradio.ca/am800/news/win…

At an event with Ontario's Health Minister & Deputy Premier & hospital CEO David Musyj, Drew Dilkens made comments "that could potentially be interpreted as political" according to Windsor's acting-CAO, so much he had to delete the livestream entirely.
windsorstar.com/news/local-new…

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