Windsor mayor preparing for Monday Emergencies Act testimony

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens will testify at the Emergencies Act Inquiry on Nov. 6. pictured in Windsor, Ont. on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor)

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens will take the stand in Ottawa Monday as the Emergencies Act inquiry looks into the handling of anti-COVID-19 mandate protests.

It was February of this year when protestors formed a blockade at the Ambassador Bridge, disrupting millions of dollars in trade.

Dilkens says there was a lot going on at that time.

“It was happening so fast and furious and there were lots of moving parts,” Dilkens told members of the media Thursday.

He says he’s prepared to dive into that with the commission, expecting the whole day to focus on what transpired in Windsor.

This week, the inquiry has heard testimony from ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizers about what was taking place in Ottawa leading up to the Federal government’s emergency declaration on Feb. 14.

In Windsor, the blockade was mostly cleared the day before that call.

Dilkens says he’s been going through the communications from that period to familiarize himself with what was going on behind the scenes.

“You go back and you review the things that you said you review the emails that came in, it's all part of the process,” Dilkens says.

He says it’s about sharing with the commission in Ottawa the experience of the city from his perspective.

“Clearly everyone in the city of Windsor understand what happened down here,” he says.

Dilkens will be in Ottawa to testify Monday.