The City of Windsor has hired Jane Deneau, the wife of Mayor Drew Dilkens, as a recreation and facilities project manager following an open competition. In an email, the city says the position was posted both internally and externally on April 4, and attracted 278 applicants. Three external candidates were shortlisted and interviewed by a panel of three members from the Parks, Recreation and Facilities Management team. According to the city, the successful candidate scored highest with all three interviewers and was offered the job based on merit. The city says the selected candidate has 27 years of relevant project management experience. The role was created as part of a departmental restructuring, does not include any direct reports, and is not classified at the managerial level, meaning it does not require mayoral approval. Mayor Drew Dilkens addressed the hiring Tuesday during an appearance on AM800’s Mornings with Mike and Meg, saying he had no involvement in the process. “She applied to a position that was posted like any other person in the city could apply,” said Dilkens. “She was interviewed like any other person would be interviewed and she was offered the job. I’m completely disconnected from it.” He added that hiring processes at the city are handled by administration and follow established protocols. “Anyone who applies to the city, if you have a relative working there you must sign a form and declare any relationships that you’ve had,” he said. “So my wife has done that. She’s done everything appropriately and properly and frankly she’s extremely qualified for the job that she has.” Dilkens emphasized that all rules were followed. “I’m completely disconnected from that process and anything you need to get comfort on with respect to hiring at the City of Windsor — unless it falls under my bailiwick — you should really go to the chief administrative officer,” he said. The city confirms all required documentation, including the family relationship disclosure form, was completed in accordance with hiring policies. However, an employment lawyer said that despite the city’s stated efforts to follow procedure, the optics raise valid concerns. “I don’t think this looks good or smells good for the mayor’s office,” said Sunira Chaudhri, litigator and founder of Workly Law. “Even though the protocols have been followed, allegedly, and I’m sure that these processes are pretty robust, absolutely from the outside, the casual observer will have pretty serious concerns that a conflict of interest exists and that it’s going to be ongoing while the mayor’s spouse is working at the City of Windsor.” Chaudhri warned the situation could undermine trust among staff and citizens. “I think a huge issue is going to be around whether or not folks, other employees at the City of Windsor will be playing favourites, if there are other employees who are going to lose out on potential opportunities and opportunities for advancement,” she said. “So, I think that this is one of those examples where even if you try to employ processes around removing conflict, the conflict is so obvious and so apparent that it’s just going to be undeniable. This conflict is going to be one that the city won’t be able to ignore.” She also cautioned that unresolved conflicts of interest tend to linger. “More often than not, where a conflict of interest exists, it’s a problem that festers. It does not go away,” Chaudhri said. “And I don’t think this is the last time we’re going to hear about this story. So I think going forward, where any employer sees evidence of an apparent and obvious conflict of interest — where you want to uphold the trust of your client, and in this case your citizens — you want to avoid conflicts of interest at all costs.” Statement from Ray Mensour, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Windsor: “Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Project Manager recruitment. As you may know, we do not provide details regarding specific employees, however Jane Deneau has authorized our sharing of this information regarding this recruitment. Following the City’s regular recruitment processes through Human Resources, Jane Deneau was offered the position of Project Manager with the City’s Parks, Recreation & Facilities department. With 27 years of relevant experience in project management, she was the top scoring candidate as scored by all three interviewers who participated in the recruitment. This position was created as part of a departmental restructuring, which resulted in annual cost savings for the City. The position was posted internally and externally on various websites, per the City’s standard Human Resources procedures, on Friday, April 4, 2025. Human Resources confirms that Jane Deneau previously applied to two other positions with the Corporation but was not selected to progress through those recruitment processes. 278 applications were received, with 3 candidates being selected for interviews by the department. All shortlisted and interviewed candidates were external applicants. The interview panel consisted of three members of the Parks, Recreation & Facilities Management team, including the Executive Director, Parks, Recreation & Facilities; Manager of Facilities Operations; and the Projects Lead, Parks Development. As part of the recruitment, all required paperwork and processes were followed, including completion of a family relationship form. This process is in place to ensure that there is never a direct reporting relationship between related parties. To clarify, this position does not have any direct reports and is not considered a manager level employee. Therefore, the recruitment does not require or involve mayoral participation or approval. If there are additional concerns, they can be directed to the Integrity Commissioner and must be made in accordance with the complaint protocol, which is found on the City’s website. Contact details and additional information is available on the Integrity Commissioner web page.” Additional statement issued by Dilkens: “I cannot speak to a recruitment process with which I was not involved. I will leave those questions to the CAO of the Corporation of the City of Windsor. What I can say, as a husband, is that I am proud of my wife and inspired by her accomplishments and experiences which I understand led to her being selected for this role. The Corporation is lucky to have a new team member who is focused on building our community, through a focus on Parks, Recreation & Facilities, and she is lucky to be part of the fantastic team at the City.” ~ With files from AM800/Rob Hindi.
