Downtown Windsor: what the mayoral candidates propose

Side by side: downtown positions of the three candidates invited to the Chamber debate. Campaign pledges, not City policy.

Positions of the three candidates invited to the Sept. 29 Chamber of Commerce debate (11 are running), listed alphabetically. These are campaign pledges and statements, not City policy. Election Day is Oct. 26.

Drew Dilkens (incumbent) says his record includes Strengthen the Core: 12 more downtown officers, a 24/7 H4 hub, nurse and police crisis teams, and Greenlight cameras. He pledges to secure funding for the Village at The Barn, a 102-unit transitional housing campus, expand Greenlight to all BIAs and pursue a police real-time operations centre. On the library, he has pitched the former Ontario tourism building near City Hall.

Fred Francis (Ward 1 councillor) proposes a Downtown Windsor Revitalization Plan. He pledges a Downtown Safety and Outreach Command Unit with a director reporting weekly to the mayor, Clean and Safe Streets Ambassadors, a Mayor's Downtown Roundtable, housing-first supports, an office-to-residential conversion program and downtown CIP incentives. On the library, he pledges a plan within four years for a permanent downtown Central Library.

Kat Pasquach (downtown business owner) proposes "compassionate revitalization": spreading daytime services for people experiencing homelessness to areas throughout the city. At the debate she said adding police officers isn't the answer and that downtown revitalization can't be separated from the mental health and addiction crisis. Her platform also pledges more support for small businesses and for arts, culture and community spaces.