Windsor Mayor will veto council decision to keep tunnel bus, citing American tariffs

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens has announced he plans to veto city council's decision to continue subsidizing the Windsor-Detroit tunnel bus and says U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs are responsible.

"Why would we want to subsidize economic development in the United States when their President is assaulting our communities?" Dilkens said in a post on Facebook.

"We receive almost no benefit in return."

The tunnel bus brings 40,000 people to Detroit to spend money every year, he said.

If the tariffs are implemented, the city will also be pulling its sponsorship of the Detroit Grand Prix, Dilkens said, and will review all other spending to ensure the City of Windsor is maximizing purchases of Canadian-made goods.

The future of the tunnel bus dominated debate over this year's city budget, after Dilkens proposed cutting the service to help keep property tax increases below the rate of inflation. 

Transit workers and local citizens campaigned against the proposal.

Dilkens has the right to veto decisions of council as a result of strong mayor powers granted by the province.

Council can overturn the veto with a two-thirds majority if it acts within 15 days.

The vote to spare the tunnel bus was 7-4 last week. 

The proposal to save the tunnel bus, which doubled fares to $20 from $10,  raised the tax increase from a proposed 2.99 per cent to 3.15 per cent.