After multiple delays, the Gordie Howe International Bridge has, once again, a new opening date — and this time, it appears to be sticking.
Canadian business groups are welcoming the news that Canada and the U.S. have struck a deal to open the 2.5-kilometre Windsor-Detroit bridge on July 27.
Canada spent $6.4 billion to build the bridge to speed the flow of trade between the two nations.
A federal government source, whom the Star is not naming because they are not authorized to speak publicly, said Canada agreed to split the net toll profits with the U.S. for the first 15 years, with the U.S. half going to a regional development fund.
This differs from the original 2012 agreement, which had toll revenues shared with the State of Michigan once Canada had recovered its construction costs.
The source also said the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, which governs the operation of the Gordie Howe Bridge, will consult with the U.S. and seek its approval if it intends to raise tolls by more than 10 per cent or lower them below the regional average.
Opening of Gordie Howe bridge ‘something that needs to be celebrated’
The bridge opening “is something that needs to be celebrated,” said Ryan Donally, the president of the Windsor Essex Chamber of Commerce. “This is a century-long piece of intercept infrastructure that will connect our two countries.”
Donally said he believes the agreement is a step toward rebuilding a more positive relationship with the White House, allowing Canada to continue growing trade with the U.S. while also diversifying its markets.
The news comes nearly a month after the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the bridge was cancelled at the demand of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
Trump boasted on Truth Social at midnight Friday that he was able to cut a “MUCH BETTER DEAL” for America and said the original agreement was “unacceptable.”
However, Prime Minister Mark Carney downplayed the concession that Canada made to the U.S. in an interview with CTV at the Calgary Stampede on Sunday, stating the word “net” plays a big role in the new bridge arrangement.
“We are sharing after Canada is paid back,” Carney said. “We get the revenues. Then the servicing of the costs of the bridge and paying the debt of the bridge, and then what’s left over, there’s a split of that for 15 years.”
Carney says there will be little ‘net’ profit in the first years
“It’s a good deal for Canada,” Carney said, adding that there will be little net profit to split in the first few years as traffic builds up.
The agreement’s specific details are undisclosed. It’s unclear how the new profit-sharing arrangement will affect Canada’s timeline to recover its $6.4 billion investment.
Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, applauded the news in a statement, saying the opening of the bridge provides a fresh crossing alternative to the current Ambassador Bridge, and solves a “bottleneck” first identified 15 years ago.
“There is some new benefit to American interests in the new arrangement, and that’s a reflection of the realpolitik of the moment,” said Volpe. “However, news of the death of Canadian interests has been overreported by the underinformed.”
Daniel Tisch, president of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, said he was disappointed that the agreement was rewritten, but he believed Canada did what it had to do to get the bridge open.
But he was pleased to see political and business leaders from both countries defend and work toward the bridge over the past few months.
“When the chips are down, Canadians and Americans can work together to get things done,” he said. “I think Gordie Howe would be proud to see us playing on the same team.”
‘We want to do our country proud by representing well’
Stephen Hargreaves, director of the Sandwich Town BIA, home to the bridge, told the Star that after the news broke, the community is buzzing with excitement as businesses make last-minute preparations to gear up for the influx of traffic into Sandwich.
Community members expect the long-awaited opening to boost tourism not only by car but also through increased cycling and pedestrian visits to Windsor, while significantly easing traffic congestion on routes into Detroit.
“We will be the first piece of Canada that (Americans) interact with,” said Hargreaves in Sandwich town, an eight-minute bicycle ride from the Canadian port of entry. “And we want to do our country proud by representing well.”
