Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens has pushed back against public criticism from the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families over a funding shortfall, calling the remarks 'disappointing' in a written statement released Wednesday.
The shelter's executive director, Lady Laforet, had announced earlier this week that the organization requested an additional $192,000 from the city to stabilize eight temporary beds added this year and create four new flexible spaces. The request was denied.
'City council is your ally, and it is disappointing to be publicly criticized for not filling your funding shortfall, even as we remain one of your strongest advocates, partners and funders,' Dilkens wrote. He noted that 'funny things happen in election years,' though he has not declared whether he will seek re-election this fall.
According to Dilkens, all municipal, provincial, and federal funding sources—including annual allocations, prior-year surpluses, and reserves—have already been committed to other services for the April 2026 to March 2027 fiscal year. The city had previously suggested the Welcome Centre convert two under-utilized family rooms into eight beds for women to better align with community needs during winter. The shelter agreed to this change without additional operating funding but requested $7,000 for bed purchases, which the city covered.
Laforet said the shelter temporarily added eight beds in January at the city's request but without extra funding. In the four months before the expansion, the shelter turned away 328 women due to lack of beds; after the expansion, turnaways more than halved. The Welcome Centre had also requested a $160,000 increase in late 2025 to cover a projected 2026 budget shortfall, but city council maintained its existing funding allotment.
Dilkens stated that the city told the shelter no money remains for this fiscal year to support further expansion, but if additional funds come from upper levels of government, the city would reconsider the request.
