If you live in Windsor's Ward 7 and have any questions or concerns, you can put them to Mayor Drew Dilkens on a virtual telephone meeting Wednesday night.
Usually, city councillors host ward meetings, but Ward 7 has been without a council member since Irek Kusmierczyk was elected MP for Windsor-Tecumseh.
The city postponed a planned by-election because of the pandemic, and municipal officials are not expected to announce a new date for the vote until the state of emergency ends in Windsor.
Starting at 7:30 p.m., an automated dial will ring several thousand residential phone lines in the ward. Only land-lines registered for "do-not-call" telemarketing will be contacted.
Once a brief introduction is out of the way, residents can interact with Dilkens and participate in a survey.
For those who miss the call, a voicemail message will provide instruction and call-in numbers for those who wish to join the meeting in progress.
The meeting is expected to last about an hour.
"I know that residents are never shy about contacting my office with local issues or concerns," said Dilkens, who has committed to ensuring residents in Ward 7 have access to representation and the ability to communicate their concerns to decision-makers at City Hall. "But we just want to make it a little bit easier for residents to participate from the comfort and safety of their own homes."
Windsor city councillors host ward meetings on an annual basis, but it is still not clear if the sessions will go ahead this year because of the pandemic. Wednesday night's meeting will serve as a pilot project for city councillors to consider as an alternative.
