Windsor's Mayor Drew Dilkens has wielded his strong mayor powers more frequently than any other municipal leader in Ontario, according to a new database created by the Toronto Star. The database, which used artificial intelligence to classify over 4,200 strong-mayor decisions, analyzed 91 orders made by Dilkens since the Doug Ford Progressive Conservatives granted him enhanced authority in July 2023.
Substantive Decisions Outpace Other Cities
Of those 91 decisions, the Toronto Star flagged 50 as “substantive,” rather than procedural. This is the highest number among Ontario cities, followed by London with 32, Ajax with 31, Oakville with 26, and Barrie with 22.
“Where I measure up, statistically, against other municipalities on this front, that’s not my primary concern,” Dilkens told the Star. “My primary concern is making sure the community is affordable, that we’re acting responsibly, and thinking of the long game.”
Background on Strong Mayor Powers
The Doug Ford government first granted enhanced control to some municipal leaders in November 2022 through the Strong Mayor, Building Homes Act. Since then, the government has extended these powers to more than 200 mayors across the province.
The legislation has drawn criticism, including from some Windsor councillors, for giving mayors the authority to set municipal budgets and bypass or override council majorities. In April 2025, Windsor’s council majority voted to request that Premier Ford and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack remove Windsor from the strong mayor legislation. This move came after Dilkens vetoed a council-majority budget decision and eliminated Transit Windsor’s tunnel bus to Detroit.
“When the majority of council proposes a change to the budget, you have one person who can overturn that decision with the stroke of a pen,” said Ward 9 Coun. Kieran McKenzie, who initiated the request. He described the changes to budget-setting as a “wholly undemocratic process for the most important thing that we deal with on an annual basis: how we invest taxpayer dollars in our community.”
Detailed Analysis of Dilkens' Decisions
Dilkens has actually used his strong mayor powers 93 times. The Toronto Star analyzed 91 of those orders, with the final two—one concerning employment matters and another directing staff to undertake research—issued after the March 12 cutoff for analysis.
The majority of his “substantive” decisions (35 orders) involved structural reorganization and the hiring and firing of staff at or above the manager level. Most of these included mayoral decisions that confirmed the hiring of staff recruited, vetted, and selected through processes that exclude the mayor.
Dilkens explained that these hirings were an “administrative process that I was completely detached from. I wasn’t involved in one single interview, (or) job posting.” At the end of the process, he would receive an email from human resources with a request to hire, the applicants’ “scores” and resumes, and the name of the recommended candidate.
The database highlights the extent to which strong mayor powers have been utilized in Ontario, with Windsor leading in substantive decisions. While Dilkens emphasizes his focus on affordability and long-term planning, critics argue that the concentration of power undermines democratic processes at the municipal level.
