Windsor’s police chief is providing an explanation behind some of the wording used in a letter to request a search for hidden listening devices at Windsor City Hall.
The June 10 letter requested assistance from the OPP’s Security Assessment Unit to sweep the mayor’s office and other areas of city hall used for sensitive or confidential conversations.
The letter indicated that Mayor Drew Dilkens had approached police earlier that month with possible security concerns. While no devices had been discovered and there was little evidence suggesting any were present, the letter referenced that 2026 is an election year and some incumbent councillors have “liberal access to many areas of city hall.”
During Thursday’s Windsor Police Services Board meeting, Ward 6 Councillor Jo-Anne Gignac asked Chief Jason Crowley what the municipal election had to do with the security request.
Crowley explained that the OPP had sought additional information after receiving the initial request, and he called the election wording “a simple contextual piece” and that it was included before anyone declared their candidacy.
He also told the board that at the time, police had recently completed an investigation into a serious threat against Dilkens that resulted in an arrest.
Gignac says she remembers security sweeps on at least two occasions at the former city hall building.
“We went through a number of issues there that caused the then mayor to make those requests. Whether that was a labour issue or a 101-day strike, if you were having people coming in that caused concern, I know that it happened,” she says.
Gignac says these security sweeps for listening devices should really be taking place on a regular basis.
“Not just if something happens and our mind turns to it. We’re a large corporation; we need to keep everything secure, whether that policy comes from city hall, the security department, or the police as a recommendation,” she says.
Dilkens has said the request came through the city’s corporate security department and had nothing to do with the municipal election. He called it a precaution to protect confidential discussions that could include potential investments.