'A sad day for democracy,' councillor says as effort to override tunnel bus veto fails

The City of Windsor will no longer offer the Transit Windsor tunnel bus route connecting the city to Detroit, despite a vote by the majority of council to keep the service running. 

A push by downtown councillor Renaldo Agostino to overturn Mayor Drew Dilkens' decision to eliminate the bus failed to get enough support at a special council meeting on Friday. 

Winding down the service could take about six months, said Dilkens, with more details expected to be released in the coming days. 

This is the first time Dilkens has overruled the majority of council. 

The mayor's budget for 2025 eliminated the tunnel bus route, with Dilkens saying taxpayers could not afford to pay 10 federally mandated sick days for Transit Windsor employees.

The days apply to all 300 employees, while costing taxpayers $1.6 million annually, according to budget documents. 

The city said that translates to a $35 cost per rider using the service. 

City council voted seven to four to keep the route alive by doubling the fare to $20, alongside a push to better promote the route to increase ridership.

But Dilkens used his strong mayor powers to veto council's majority decision, eliminating the route once again. 

An eight councillor would have been needed to save the route. 

He said it was because of the costs to the taxpayers, but also because of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff threats against Canada.

Costante: Councillors' power eroded

Ward 2 Coun. Fabio Costante said it's the first time in Windsor's history where a majority of council on two separate occasions consecutively voted in favour of an item with the end result being a loss.

He said this is a direct result of the strong mayor legislation, which "has eroded one of our primary and our most powerful functions as a council, and that is the power to vote."

"Our vote no longer counts as a vote under this process, it is a fraction of a vote," Contante added.

'A sad day for democracy in Windsor'

Responding to the outcome of the vote, Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis said "it's a sad day for democracy in Windsor."

"I always grew up thinking and knowing that democracy in Canada, democracy in Ontario and democracy in Windsor is all about majority rule," he said. "You could disagree, you can argue, but at the end of the day, the majority gets to decide and that's a fair, democratic way to do it.

"Today that didn't happen."

According to Francis, strong mayor powers have severely limited the power of individual councillors. 

"You saw it this morning, that a simple majority vote of council is no longer what it takes — so it really has sidelined city councillors to the point they've never been sidelined before," Francis said.

"That really is, in my opinion, a slap in the face not only to the city councillors, but the people that elected them across the city, across all 10 wards.

But Dilkens says the process was followed. 

I follow the rules, they follow the rules today and we concluded the process," he said in response.

An advocacy group for transit users in Windsor-Essex called the decision a "short sighted, reactionary approach to municipal government."

"It's clear that a systematic dismantling of our transit system is in action, and it is extremely disingenuous for council to cite their own decisions as reasons to discontinue the service," wrote Activate Transit Windsor Essex in a statement.

Why some councillors wanted to save the service

Francis voted to override the veto and keep the bus operating because he says he feels it's a community asset that tips the scales when people decide where to live, and that the relationship between Windsor and Detroit will outlast whoever is in the Oval Office. 

Coun. Kieran McKenzie said killing the route because of the tariff threats was "tantamount to booing a national anthem."

He also questioned how the city would save money if the sick days are negotiated through a collective bargaining agreement. 

Other spending decisions questioned

Coun. Fabio Costante said while many have criticized Trump for trying to divide people, the opposite has happened with community members joining together to fight back against the tariff threats. 

"What's actually divided us is this debate here, unnecessarily," he told council. 

Costante said council needed to ask Transit Windsor for a focused report to hear what could be explored to getting the service to a sustainable path. 

"The aquatic centre loses over $4-million dollars a year," he pointed out. 

Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac told council she could not support the service, one she used to take as a kid on trips to Detroit with her cousin, because of the costs. 

"Some people are going to run up and hug me because they're telling me their taxes right now are a very big concern for them," she said.

Coun. Mark McKenzie, who previously voted against keeping the tunnel bus because the fare increase was too high, didn't budge on his position. 

"I cannot support subsidizing a service to bring people to another country," he said. "Not just another country, but a president who is not only attacking us but literally going to war with us."

Coun. Ed Sleiman said he has received email from constituents telling him about how they use the bus, but in the end that he could not support keeping the service because of the costs. 

Councillor switches his vote

Coun. Jim Morrison originally supported keeping the route during the budget meeting but told council he changed his mind.

"From a business standpoint this didn't make a lot of sense," he said. 

"At the time of the budget I kind of got a little soft and said, 'this is sentimental, it's nostalgic, I'd hate to see it go.' And I still would hate to see it go," Morrison added.

"I walked out of that budget [meeting], very quickly, and started to really second guess myself and say 'You know what, I'm not sure I was making a good decision on behalf of the taxpayers of this city.'"

Dilkens, who said he used the bus to commute to work for a previous employer, said doubling the fare would reduce ridership. 

He echoed Gignac's comments about the type of decisions council has had to make in the past and said if tariffs go through council will be in a very difficult position. 

"This will be the simplest and the easiest of all budget decisions you will all have to deal with if any of this gets any closer to being reality," he said.

Dilkens said there have been conversations between city staff in Windsor and Detroit that might lead to Detroit offering a similar service once the Transit Windsor route ends. 

If not, he's confident the private sector will act if there's a business case for the special events buses that go to Detroit. 

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 616, which represents Transit Windsor workers, said it was disappointed by the decision, and concerned that the mayor voted on the motion. 

"Regardless, we are extremely disappointed in today's results, but that will not deter us from our unwavering commitment to our members and Windsorites and protecting what matters. We will continue with our Application to the Federal Labour Board, citing unfair labour practices by Transit Windsor and the City of Windsor," said ATU 616 president Dragan Markovic.

How council voted

Couns. Agostino, Costante, Kieran McKenzie, Gary Kaschak, Angelo Marignani and Fred Francis voted to override the veto. 

Couns. Ed Sleiman, Mark McKenzie, Jo-Anne Gignac and the mayor stuck by their previous decision to eliminate the route. 

Councillor Jim Morrison also decided to eliminate the route, changing his previous vote in support of the tunnel bus.