Windsor mayoral candidate Drew Dilkens is starting his re-election campaign with a promise to urge the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to take over the costs associated with maintaining the E. C. Row Expressway.
The province shifted these expenses onto the City of Windsor on April 1, 1997. Since then, Windsor has been spending around $7.5 million each year for maintenance, upgrades, and snow removal on the expressway.
“Just imagine what an additional $7.5 million per year could deliver for Windsor’s capital plan,” said Dilkens. “The fact is, that’s a rounding error for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, but a significant opportunity to reprioritize municipal road projects on backlog.”
In recent years, the Ontario government has taken back responsibility for both the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto and Highway 174 in Ottawa.
Despite ongoing growth throughout Windsor and Essex County, local property taxpayers are solely responsible for covering the costs of keeping E. C. Row operational.
“As a matter of basic fairness, we should expect the Government of Ontario to immediately begin discussions to upload E. C. Row,” said Dilkens. “This was never a cost that should have been transferred to local government. I plan to take this fight directly to the Premier and Cabinet, and expect them to listen and deliver.”
Dilkens is competing against ten other candidates for mayor in this October’s municipal election. They are: Benjamin Danyluk, Aaron Day, current Ward 1 councillor Fred Francis, Dylon Graves, Tara Grayer, Nick Kolasky, Tristan Ty Morencie, Kat Pasquach, Patrick Sutherland, and Louis Vaupotic.
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