How Windsor Works: a plain-language guide to local government

This is a free, plain-language guide to local government for people who live in Windsor and the towns around it. It explains how council is set up, how to speak at a meeting, how to ask for public records, how voting works and how the budget is set, with a link to the official record for each step.

Jump to a chapter with the links below. Each chapter shows when we last checked it, and its fees, dates and deadlines sit in a small table so they are easy to re-check. The official page is always the final word.

This guide is descriptive only. It explains how the system works under the law and takes no side in any vote, by-law or debate.

Council | Speak at council | Get a record | Vote | Budget and tax | Who does what

City council, wards and the mayor

Windsor is divided into 10 wards. Voters in each ward elect one councillor, and the whole city elects the mayor, so council has 11 members (City of Windsor 2026 election brochure). Find your ward on the City's ward maps and your councillor on the Mayor and City Council page.

Under Ontario's Municipal Elections Act, a council term is four years and begins on November 15 of the election year. Members keep their seats until the new council takes office.

Council decides at public meetings. Agendas, reports and minutes are posted on the City's City Council Meetings page. Windsor's mayor also holds extra provincial powers, often called strong mayor powers; the budget chapter below explains the part that sets the yearly budget. For past meetings in plain English, see our council archive.

Last checked: Nov. 4, 2026

Speak at council (delegations)

Anyone can ask to speak to council or a standing committee about an item on its agenda. A speaker is called a delegation. The rules are in council's procedure by-law and on the City's Delegation Request page.

Find the item on the agenda at City Council Meetings, then register with the Office of the City Clerk by noon on the Friday before the meeting. You can register online through MyWindsor, by phone at 519-255-6432 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), or in person at the Office of the City Clerk, Suite 530, 350 City Hall Square West. You will be asked for your full name, your ward or the organization you speak for and your title, your contact details, and the meeting and item. The City warns that incomplete information can mean the request is rejected, and that your name may become part of the public record.

Missed the noon deadline? Call the Clerk's office. Under the by-law, a request that arrives after noon but before 4 p.m. on the Monday of the meeting goes to council, which can agree to hear the delegation on a two-thirds vote.

A delegation gets a maximum of five minutes, and only one person speaks for a group. Signs and placards are not allowed, and you may not cross-examine or debate other delegations or members. If you need audiovisual equipment, ask the Clerk when you register.

You can also send a written submission instead of, or as well as, speaking. A brief that reaches the Clerk by noon on the Friday before the meeting is copied and distributed to council members.

Last checked: Nov. 4, 2026

Get a record (freedom of information)

Ontario's municipal access law, MFIPPA, gives everyone a right to ask for City records, with limited exemptions. A request must be in writing, say it is made under the Act, describe the records well enough for staff to find them, and come with the fee.

The City's application fee is $5. Its Freedom of Information page explains how to file: email a scan of the form to the City, which calls to take the fee, mail a letter with a cheque or money order, or file in person at the Office of the City Clerk. Be specific about topic, department and dates.

For requests made after July 1, 2026, the law gives the City 45 business days to decide. The City can extend that time in some cases, but must tell you in writing and say you can ask the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) to review it. No answer by the deadline counts in law as a refusal.

You can appeal a decision, a fee or an extension to the IPC. The IPC appeal fee is $10 for your own personal information and $25 for other records (IPC appeals). The law now sets the appeal window at 30 business days after the decision, but the City's page still says 30 days, so file early if you can. Our FOI tracker shows requests the desk has filed.

Last checked: Nov. 4, 2026

Vote

Ontario holds municipal elections every four years on the fourth Monday in October. The next regular election is in 2030. You can vote in Windsor if, on voting day, you are a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, and live in Windsor or own or rent property there (or are the spouse of someone who does), and the law does not disqualify you (City voter information).

Bring identification showing your name and qualifying address. If you cannot vote in person, you can name a voting proxy, someone eligible you trust to vote for you; the proxy takes the appointment form to the City Clerk to be certified before voting. The City sets advance voting days and places for each election.

Results stay unofficial until the clerk declares them. A tie means an automatic recount; council or a court can order other recounts (Ontario voters guide). Every candidate who filed a nomination must file a campaign financial statement with the clerk. For the 2026 election, the province says the deadline is 2 p.m. on March 30, 2027. Results and links are on our Election 2026 page.

Last checked: Nov. 4, 2026

The budget and your tax bill

Windsor's mayor has strong mayor budget powers under Ontario Regulation 530/22. The mayor proposes the budget by Feb. 1. Council then has 30 days to amend it, the mayor has 10 days to veto amendments, and council has 15 days to override a veto with a two-thirds vote. If no one acts, the budget is deemed adopted.

For 2026, the City says council approved a 0% increase in the municipal tax levy (City news release). The 2026 capital budget, for roads, sewers and buildings, is about $317 million (2026 Approved Operating Budget, PDF).

For the full breakdown of the 2026 numbers, see Windsor property tax, explained and “Where’s my money?”. The City posts budget documents on its Budget page.

Last checked: Nov. 4, 2026

Who does what (early stub)

This is an early stub, to be expanded. It lists only what we could source to two records.

Last checked: Nov. 4, 2026

Every procedure on this page links to its official record: a City of Windsor, County of Essex, Ontario or Government of Canada page, a statute or a by-law. For step-by-step City tasks, see Resident help. Questions for the newsroom go to Ask, news tips to Tips, and errors to Corrections, where every fix is logged. Email: windsornewsdesk@gmail.com.