Windsor looking to terminate policing contract with Amherstburg

Taking a look at the agreement between Windsor Police Service and Amherstburg

The City of Windsor is moving to end a deal to provide policing in Amherstburg.

City council, following an in-camera vote near the end of December 2024, informed the Town of Amherstburg of its intention to end the agreement that had the Windsor Police Service providing policing in the town.

Increasing policing costs have been cited as one reason for the decision.

“Almost entirely it’s financial related,” explained Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.

“We have a contract to provide policing to the Town of Amherstburg. In that contract, we’re required to give them 18 months notice if we want to terminate the contract. We have given them four years notice. And really, it was born from an annual review that City Council does on the cost benefit of providing the service. At the end of the day, we’re getting pretty close to the margin of basically breaking even.”

It has also been reported that the town has been in contact with the city to see if there are any avenues to save the deal.

“We are more than willing to have conversations with the town of Amherstburg, but the dollars have to make sense to the City of Windsor,” Dilkens said.

“We would hope to sit down, have a conversation to see if there’s a way to deal with some of the issues that we have with the existing agreement. If we can, fantastic. We’re willing to continue providing the service. If we can’t, we certainly respect the town of Amherstburg, but we’ve given them four years notice that they have to find another way to provide policing at the end of that time.”

Windsor has been providing policing in the town since January 2019 after Amherstburg council voted to approve a 20-year contract with the city and disband the former town police service.

The 20-year agreement is divided into four, five-year segments, and in late 2023, the town approved the first five-year renewal phase of the contract.

Under the terms of the original agreement, an 18-month notice of termination must be provided, but the agreement would not end until the current renewal expires, which is Dec. 31, 2028.

Windsor Police Association President, Kent Rice, said the notion of the policing contract coming to an early end is a concerning and disappointing development.

“It’s unfortunate that this has come down to this situation,” Rice said.

“I’m really hopeful that the Windsor Police Services Board and Township of Amherstburg will be able to meet and have some real fruitful discussions and come to a resolution to this issue that they’re facing.”

Rice continued, saying he understands the rising cost of policing that has led to the decision.

“The move kind of undermines the stability the members had come to expect,” he said.

“We represent roughly 40 members who came over from Amherstburg at that time, these are members who transitioned from the police service, they had an understanding that there was going to be long-term stability. Now, they face this environment that is far from what was promised.”

Meantime, another closed door meeting will be held next week to discuss the future of policing in Amherstburg. Officials said talks will include further discussions with the Windsor Police Service for an extension, while also exploring other options like partnering with another municipality, teaming with the OPP, or reinstating the former hometown police force.

Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue said council will receive a report on the issue and the potential options moving forward.

“We have no idea why they made this decision,” Prue told CTV News.

“We are very happy, I think, with the officers and the staff and the representation provided by the men and women of the Windsor Police Service. We are very dissatisfied with the Police Service Board, because the former mayor, for one term, was allowed to sit on the board with full voice, vote, and look after Amherstburg’s interests. But in this term, they have determined that I am not to be a member of the Police Service Board.”

Prue added other people from Windsor sit on the board. He is allowed to go to meetings, but said that’s only to watch and listen.

“I have a voice, but no vote, cannot make motions,” he said.

“And the most important thing is I cannot read any of the background details for anything that is on the in-camera portions of the meetings, including those things dealing with Amherstburg.”

Prue noted he was not on Amherstburg council at the time the police contract was reached, but spoke out publicly against it over concerns of what would happen if the deal was cancelled.

“I told them it was a bad political decision for the people of the town, but also that they should be very wary of some of the pitfalls,” Prue stated.

“And, one of the pitfalls was what if we get rid of our police and our equipment and our facilities and our cars? What happens down the road, if we don’t have those in the police, Windsor walks away? They didn’t listen to me. I think they sort of laughed that that would never happen. But here it is.”

Amherstburg Council will meet in-camera Monday at 4 p.m. at Amherstburg Town Hall.

— With files Rusty Thomson/AM800 News