Former Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens named Municipal World 2026 Mayor of the Year
Municipal World named former Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens its 2026 Mayor of the Year. Editors cited his 2014-2026 record: Gordie Howe bridge support, the Fancsy hospital groundbreaking, and border-corridor advocacy. He was recently defeated seeking a fourth term.
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Former Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens has been named Municipal World's 2026 Mayor of the Year.
Municipal World, a Canadian local-government magazine, announced the honour in its 2026 Local Government Awards feature in November 2026. The Mayor of the Year award, launched in 2024, is selected by the magazine's editors. Dilkens is the third honouree, joining Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and former Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek.
Dilkens served as Windsor's mayor from 2014 to 2026 after eight years on city council. He was recently defeated in his bid for a fourth term. Municipal World described him as a lifelong Windsor resident who led the city through a period of significant growth and transformation, citing support for the Gordie Howe International Bridge and work advancing the Fancsy Family Hospital, a new regional acute-care hospital that broke ground in 2026.
The magazine also pointed to his advocacy for Canada-U.S. supply-chain and manufacturing jobs and for keeping goods moving across the Detroit-Windsor corridor amid heightened trade tensions.
"It is such an honour to be selected as Mayor of the Year by Municipal World," Dilkens said in the magazine's announcement. "Windsor is a city that works. We build things. We fix things. We look after each other, and when something knocks us down, we get up and get on with it."
"My work as mayor has been about helping to guide our community into a position of strength as we seize every opportunity and meet every challenge ahead of us," he added. "I am proud of what we've all accomplished together, and I'm truly grateful for this recognition."
What it means for you
The award is a national municipal-sector recognition of Dilkens' record as mayor. City governance continues under the outgoing term until the new council's inaugural meeting on Nov. 16.
Sources: Municipal World, Municipal World recognizes 2026 Local Government Awards ( Windsor News Today, Nov. 6, 2026 ( CTV News Windsor, Nov. 6, 2026 (
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