A City employee declared a conflict on the Bright Lights chalet contract; Council decides Nov. 9

A City employee declared a conflict of interest tied to the Bright Lights chalet food contract. Under the new purchasing bylaw, Council must OK the renewal itself. It's on the Nov. 9 agenda, with a staff plan to rewrite the conflict rules.

Topics: Council and City Hall

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A City of Windsor employee has declared a conflict of interest tied to the Bright Lights Windsor chalet food and beverage contract, and Council will be asked on Monday, Nov. 9 to approve the contract's renewal anyway.

The contract

Windsor Eats Inc. runs food and beverage services at the Bright Lights Windsor chalet. Staff say only one submission came in when the City issued its request for proposals (RFP 93-24), and it came from Windsor Eats. The contract was for one year with three one-year options to renew. The first renewal was approved by staff through CAOP 146/2025.

Why it is at Council

Purchasing By-law 60-2026, passed April 13, 2026, requires City employees to declare a conflict of interest if they have an interest in any City contract. The bylaw prohibits employees from taking part in City contracts, but allows it when Council is told and specifically approves the contract (section 16(c)).

Staff say a municipal employee has declared a conflict, and the particulars are in a private memo to Council. The report does not name the employee or describe the conflict.

Staff recommend that Council receive the conflict information and approve the second one-year renewal with Windsor Eats Inc. They say that if Council says no, there is not enough time to run a new procurement, and the chalet would not operate this Bright Lights season. Staff say all costs and revenues of the chalet's food and beverage service belong to Windsor Eats, so renewing or ending the deal has no impact on the City's operating budget.

The City's conflict rules are being rewritten

A separate report on the same agenda responds to the Auditor General's March 2026 conflict of interest findings. Staff want Council to convert the City's Employee and Volunteer Code of Ethics and Conflict of Interest Policy, first approved by Council in 2002 and last amended in 2015, into a procedure under the City's Working Environment Policy. Staff say the finished procedure will be reviewed and approved by the CAO and the Corporate Leadership Team, Human Resources will run the program instead of the CAO's office, employees will make yearly attestations, and following the procedure will be a condition of employment.

Council's own members follow a separate Code of Conduct in the Procedure By-law.

When

Council meets Monday, Nov. 9, 2026 at 10 a.m. at City Hall. Residents can ask to speak as a delegation through the City.