Threats against politicians shouldn't be 'normalized,' Windsor mayor says after election day scare

Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens says police have laid charges after a man threatened his life on election day.

Dilkens said he wasn't aware of the threat until police showed up at his house the morning after the election. The threat, he said, was made at a polling station.

"Someone went into a polling station and said that they would assassinate me if were re-elected, and so the police took that very seriously," he told media on Tuesday. 

Dilkens said police have arrested and charged a man, and that person has also been banned from city hall. 

Windsor police wouldn't comment on or confirm the incident. "As a rule, the WPS doesn't disclose the names of victims involved in any incident," a spokesperson said in an email. But online court records show the person is charged with uttering threats of death or bodily harm. 

Dilkens said security measures are being taken but declined to comment on what kind of precautions are in effect.

The mayor brought up the incident at a panel discussion hosted by TVO on Sunday. He was asked by host Steve Paikin about whether he ever had concerns over his safety.

"I said, 'Yeah, as a matter of fact this week,'" Dilkens recalled on Tuesday.

Dilkens said that every politician should have a thick skin but such threats are not acceptable.

"We should never, ever normalize the thought that, saying you're going to assassinate a politician just because you don't like them, is acceptable," he said.