Speculation continues to surround the publicly owned alternative to the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, which remains closed long after its scheduled opening. The Gordie Howe International Bridge, whose construction broke ground in 2018 and finished this April, was meant to open on June 15, 2026, connecting the two cities. However, the ribbon-cutting has been indefinitely postponed due to a dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump Blocks the Bridge Opening
The U.S. president suggested his country should own half the project and pledged to block its opening until “the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given.” Canada footed the more than $6 billion bill to build the bridge. But the U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, claims that’s a “big myth.” In a recent interview with a Canadian food podcast, Hoekstra argued that Canada loaned the bridge authority $7 billion and will get that money back over time.
“Canada is serving as the bank for the bridge. The expectation is that over the years, as the bridge generates revenues and those kinds of things, the bridge will be paid back, so the bridge will actually be paid for by the folks who are using the bridge. It will not be paid for by the Canadian government. So, no, Canada put the money up front, but at the end of the day, the expectation is that there will be a use tax that will pay for the bridge,” Hoekstra said.
Revenue Sharing and Criticism
While it’s true Canada will recoup its investment through tolls over several decades, the U.S. will also profit from the bridge. Once Canada has been paid back, revenue will be split with the state of Michigan. Hoekstra’s comments garnered criticism online, including from former prime minister Stephen Harper’s director of communications, Andrew MacDougall, who called the U.S. diplomat “the ambassador of gaslight for Canada.”
MacDougall worked under Harper in 2012 when the Canada-Michigan crossing agreement was signed. He spoke with the National Post’s Ellie Hutchings, stating: “This administration has shown time and time again that it will suck up to its enemies and punch its friends in the face. I certainly remember what was agreed to, and it was that basically we would fund the bridge construction, buy the land in Michigan needed, build the interstate on ramps, and that we would make the money back by tolls that were collected on the bridge, but only from the Canadian side, not the American side.”
Historical Context and Ongoing Dispute
MacDougall told the National Post he’s not surprised by the Trump administration’s actions, partially because of the family that owns the existing Ambassador Bridge. The Gordie Howe Bridge was intended to be a publicly owned alternative to the Ambassador Bridge, which is privately held. The dispute has created a divide between the U.S. and Canada, with the bridge now becoming a symbol of cross-border tension.
