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City Committee Calls for Report on Giving Council More Authority Over Transit

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AM800-News-Transit-Windsor-Winter-Flurries-St-Clair-College-Students-Stock
Theres no word yet on when the report will come to council for further discussion

A city committee is investigating giving council more authority over Transit Windsor during the pandemic.

As it stands now, the head of council, Mayor Drew Dilkens, has the authority to make decisions like cancelling service due to COVID-19.

The Environment, Transportation and Public Safety Standing Committee has asked for a report on the implications of having all council members vote when any major decisions need to be made in the event of an emergency.

Councillor Fabio Costante brought forward the motion and says he just wants what's best for the community.

"I'm going to keep an open mind," he says. "I very much put a lot of weight and emphasis on our emergency plan and that team in a time of a crisis and I don't want to put us in a position that risks the residents and citizens of this community and risks the municipality as a whole when we're in a future pandemic or crisis."

Councillor Kieran McKenzie says he'd like to see council have more say.

"I take these issues seriously, in terms of governance. The emergency management protocols are extraordinary powers that are invested into a single individual," McKenzie adds "Going through the pandemic, have we gotten everything exactly right? I think the answer is no."

Also weighing in on the matter, Councillor Chris Holt believes this has nothing to do with politics.

"There is no questioning the validity or the actions whatsoever of our head of council," he says, "This is about transit. This is about what our community has deemed a very important service and a lot of people suffered because of this withdrawal of this service from the community."

Dilkens ordered the suspension of bus service on March 29 due to the pandemic — a move that drew criticism from some community members as many consider transit an essential service.

There's no word yet on when the report will come to council for further discussion.