The City of Windsor's integrity commissioner has cleared Mayor Drew Dilkens of any wrongdoing around the hiring of his wife for a position with the city.
The report released to the public March 9 found there was no undue influence, abuse of power, or conflict of interest in the hiring of Jane Deneau.
Deneau was hired in the spring of 2025 as a recreation and facilities project manager in the Parks, Recreation, and Facilities Department.
The position was posted internally and externally on various websites on Friday, April 4. 278 people applied, and three candidates were selected for interviews, according to the city.
When word of the hiring broke in May 2025, the city said the top-scoring candidate was offered the position and the candidate was scored the highest by all three interviewers.
The city says the selected candidate has 27 years of relevant experience in project management.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says the integrity commissioner met with him, everyone involved in the hiring process, and the chief administrative officer, who wasn't involved in the hiring process.
"It wasn't just an interview; he put us all under oath and took testimony like we were in a legal proceeding," he says. "At the end of all of that, he concluded what I already knew when he said, 'We have determined that during the position establishment, recruitment, and hiring process, there was no impropriety, undue influence, or abuse of power exercised by the mayor or by anyone on his behalf.'"
Dilkens says the city has very robust processes in place.
"I said from the beginning, and I'll reiterate now, I was not involved in this from the beginning. There was no conflict of interest, no undue influence, no impropriety, and no abuse of power, and the integrity commissioner has confirmed each of those points and has completely exonerated me from the hiring of my wife," he says.
According to the integrity commissioner's report, though the position involved was a 'project manager,' because of the nature and responsibilities of the position, it did not fall into the category of 'manager' positions that required mayoral sign-off.
No involvement of the mayor or the chief administrative officer was sought with respect to either the establishment of the position or the hiring of Deneau, and neither was involved in decision-making regarding the recruitment for the position, says the report.
The integrity commissioner says, "We have determined that during the position establishment and then recruitment and hiring process, there was no impropriety, undue influence, or abuse of power exercised by the mayor or by anyone on his behalf. The city's administrative policies and procedures were followed appropriately, and the family relationship was disclosed at the appropriate time within the process. Further, since the mayor had no involvement in the decision-making in this matter, there was no potential for a conflict of interest to arise."
My wife works for the city as a Project Manager. She applied to three different positions before even getting an interview. She’s immensely qualified for the position and earned it entirely on her own. pic.twitter.com/eObAB03D9k
— Mayor Drew Dilkens (@drewdilkens) March 9, 2026