Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens told the Public Order Emergency Commission that the invocation of the Emergencies Act was welcome.
Dilkens and Windsor Police Service Deputy Chief Jason Crowley appeared before the commission in Ottawa on Monday.
The commission heard police used lessons learned from Ottawa to help develop plans for addressing the blockade that materialized on Huron Church Road on February 7, 2022. Mainly, Dilkens told the commission the police wanted to disassemble the blockade without raising tensions.
"The posture and the language was, it was almost as if folks wanted some kind of brawl on the streets," said Dilkens. "I know police weren't interested in that, as the mayor I was not interested in that, as chair of the police board I wasn't interested in that. We were interested in finding a way through this that was sensible and practical but ultimately opened the road to the Ambassador Bridge."
The blockade was removed from the road on February 13, 2022, and the bridge was reopened. Both Dilkens and Crowly told the commission that officials feared the blockade could reform at any time.
Text messages between Dilkens and federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino included as evidence in the proceedings showed the minister asked Dilkens to support the granting of new powers to help keep the bridge open. Dilkens told the minister he supported the move.
Dilkens said the use of the Emergencies Act from the Federal Government sent a clear message to anyone considering that action.
"From an emergencies act perspective, anything that would send a signal to people contemplating coming to Windsor to start this over again, I thought, from my chair was extremely helpful to send a signal," Drew Dilkens.
Deputy Chief Crowley told the commission the Emergencies Act may have dissuaded people from re-establishing the blockade in Windsor but the act was not used on the ground locally.
