Town to move on from Windsor police and will explore remaining policing options

A Windsor police cruiser is seen at a traffic matter in Amherstburg in 2024.

Any notion of the Town of Amherstburg working with the City of Windsor to renegotiate a new policing contract for policing looks to be finished.

Windsor had already notified Amherstburg of its intention to end the current policing contract at the end of 2028. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkins told the River Town Times in February it was “a dollars and cents issue” as the contract signed in late 2018 no longer made sense for the city.

Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue said they had tried to work with Windsor to see about getting a new deal, but announced Monday night the town is moving on. The issue that was raised was not financial, he indicated.

Prue said there have been negotiations and CAO Valerie Critchley has been working on the town’s behalf in those talks.

“We had one real ask before we continued to see whether they would be interested in keeping us on,” said Prue. “We didn’t even ask the price. We asked a simple question, that should we decide to stay with Windsor police, would they ensure that Amherstburg had a representative on the board with voice and vote.”   The question was taken back to Windsor city council, said Prue, “and the council of the City of Windsor said no.”

“We are terminating that as an item of discussion. We will not be staying with Windsor police,” said Prue.

There are still three options left, he said. That includes re-establishing the Amherstburg Police Service, going with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) or teaming with the Town of LaSalle on a police service. 

“We’ll keep everyone informed as we go down that road, but there are no longer four options,” said Prue. “Only three.”

The idea of a regional police service had already been discussed at the county level and that will not move forward.

The contract with Windsor was for 20 years, but each side had the ability to opt out every five years. 

For the first portion of the contract, then-Mayor Aldo DiCarlo was a voting member of the board but the second five-year portion of the contract saw Amherstburg’s role on the board reduced to an advisory capacity with no voting rights. 

Town to move on from Windsor police and will explore remaining policing options

By Ron Giofu