A national publication has recognized outgoing Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
Municipal World Magazine has named Dilkens its 2026 Mayor of the Year.
“Quite an honour to receive that, and we work very hard; everyone at city hall works very hard, and I do as well,” says Mayor Dilkens. “To have that work recognized on my way out—certainly it feels very good that peers across the country reflect on the work that I’ve done and gave me a very nice honour; I’m very thankful for that.”
The award was chosen by the magazine’s editors after extensive research, personal interviews, and first-hand observations of the municipal sector.
The magazine’s editorial team says Dilkens has advocated for policies that preserve the integrated Canada-US supply chain, protect manufacturing jobs, and maintain the efficient movement of goods across the Windsor-Detroit corridor.
“They had called a few weeks before the election, actually, and they just asked that we keep it quiet, so we did, waiting for the November publication to come out,” says Dilkens.
The award was started in 2014 to recognize a Canadian mayor who goes above and beyond the call of duty for their municipality.
Dilkens has been mayor of Windsor for 12 years until losing to Ward 1 councillor Fred Francis in last month’s municipal election.