The saga of the Gordie Howe bridge

Summary

Front Burner (CBC)

Episode: The Saga of the Gordie Howe Bridge

Date: July 27, 2026
Host: Aaron Ware (in for Jayme Poisson)
Guest: Emma Loop, CBC Windsor

---

Overview

This episode delves into the decades-long saga behind the Gordie Howe International Bridge, now finally open and connecting Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit, Michigan. It examines the economic, political, and personal complexities involved—covering everything from border trade, private opposition, political wrangling, and the last-minute disputes that almost derailed the high-profile ribbon cutting. Hosted by Aaron Ware and Windsor native Emma Loop, the episode reveals how the bridge has become a symbol of both cross-border cooperation and recent tensions between Canada and the United States.

---

Key Discussion Points

1. The Significance of the Windsor-Detroit Crossing

• The crossing is a crucial trade artery: about one-third of Canada-U.S. trade passes here.
• The aging Ambassador Bridge (built in the 1920s) was the sole crossing, causing massive logistical backups—especially for truckers and local residents.
  • [03:33] CBC Announcer: “Truckers say gridlock along this route is common and can have serious consequences when just in time, deliveries have to arrive by a firm deadline.”
  • [04:02] Local Resident: “You see the trucks lined up all the time and we definitely have delays.”

2. The Roots of the New Bridge

• The push began decades ago, intensifying after 9/11, when border closures underscored the risks of relying on a single, privately-owned bridge.
• Federal-level studies began in the early 2000s, motivated by fears over national security and trade resilience.

3. The Maroon Family’s Fierce Opposition

• The Maroon family of Michigan, owners of the Ambassador Bridge, waged an expensive, decade-long campaign to stop the new crossing.
  • [06:49] “They've spent a lot of money and deployed a lot of lawyers to try to stop this.”
  • [06:54] “It's going to cut into their traffic, particularly commercial truck traffic...This is going to cut deep into their profits.”
• Tactics included legal challenges, local and federal lobbying, misleading ad campaigns, and even a proposal to add a second span to the existing bridge instead.
  • [07:22] Example ad: “Dear Mr. President…one is American made, American owned...the other would be Canadian made, Canadian owned.”
• Emma Loop: “[The Maroons] have been in control of that bridge since 1979.” [06:33]

4. The Deal that Broke the Deadlock

• In 2012, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder struck a groundbreaking deal:
  • Canada would “foot the bill” for the bridge; the U.S. would only pay for its own customs plaza.
  • Michigan was broke after the ’08 financial crisis and bailouts; the only feasible path forward was a Canadian investment.
    • [09:24] Event Narrator: “This new bridge...is an investment in the future, in the future of the North American economy...a celebration of the deep friendship that exists between Canada and the United States.”
• The Maroons’ last stand included a $33 million state referendum, but Michigan voters resoundingly rejected it.

5. The Gordie Howe Name: Symbolism and Local Identity

• Bridge named for Gordie Howe, legendary Canadian hockey player and Detroit Red Wings star.
  • [12:04] “His name and his Persona really represents that cross border bond between both Canada and the U.S. but also Windsor and Detroit.” — Emma Loop
  • “Beloved on both sides of the border.”

6. Last-Minute Political Drama: The Trump Factor

• After years of general acceptance, U.S.-Canada relations soured dramatically in 2026 with Trump's new tariffs and a Truth Social post demanding ownership and compensation for the bridge.
  • [15:01] Trump post: “I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them...We should own perhaps at least one half of this asset.”
  • The post echoed talking points previously used by the Maroon family.
• Further revelations included a significant lobbying push:
  • Matthew Maroon reportedly donated $1 million to a Trump-aligned super PAC weeks before the post.
  • New lobbying contracts in both Washington and Ottawa.
• The opening was stalled, leading to uncertainty on both sides.

7. The New “Side Deal” and Unresolved Questions

• After quiet negotiations, Canada and Michigan (the bridge co-owners) reached a new agreement involving U.S. shares of toll revenue, governance, and an economic development fund.
  • [22:31] “He also says that this deal includes profit, net profit sharing with the U.S. but after Canada's debt is paid...the deal is for 15 years. How is there going to be any profit for 15 years? There’s $6.4 billion to pay off.”
• The agreement’s actual details remain opaque, with opposition MPs and local officials demanding clarity as newspapers report the U.S. could receive up to $320 million over 15 years.
• Emma Loop: "It just generates more questions. And long story short, we now get to today." [22:55]

8. The Ribbon-Cutting: A Bittersweet Occasion

• The official opening (“ribbon-cutting”) was held only on the Canadian side; American dignitaries were disinvited, reflecting current U.S.-Canada tensions.
  • [25:34] “Canadian officials said doesn't feel like the right time to be celebrating anything with top American officials. And so we're going to do our own thing.”
• Doug Ford (Ontario Premier) acknowledged the challenging relationship but stressed cooperation and hope:
  • [26:39] Doug Ford: “Our relationship has been challenged...but Team Canada has never been more united. Gordie Howe always brought people together...The Gordie Howe International Bridge...is an example of what we can achieve when our two great countries work together.”

9. How Locals See the Bridge Now

• Emma Loop notes the mood in Windsor is mixed—there is excitement about finally having the crossing open, but cross-border habits and the “spirit of friendship” aren’t what they were a generation ago.
  • [28:10] “Does it feel like that in Windsor right now?”
  • Emma Loop: “Not really…people around here are still not going to the US as much as they used to, or at all.”
• Locals ask practical questions, some just wanting to walk or bike across and return without entering the U.S.—a sign of both curiosity and caution.
  • [31:03] “Can I bike or walk across the bridge and basically turn back around and not enter the United States? Because they don’t want to go to the US, they just want to check out the bridge...that’s the type of question we’re hearing, and I think it illustrates the bittersweet moment that we’re in right now.”

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [04:09] Local Resident: “Whenever we're going here on Church, you know, you see the trucks lined up all the time and we definitely have delays.”
• [07:05] “This is going to cut deep into their profits.” — Co-host/Guest Expert on Maroon family opposition
• [09:24] Event Narrator: “This new bridge...is a celebration of the deep friendship that exists between Canada and the United States.”
• [15:01] News Commentator (on Trump’s post): “We should own perhaps at least one half of this asset.”
• [26:39] Doug Ford: “Gordie Howe always brought people together...a commitment to teamwork, something that has also defined Canada and the United States relationship for generations.”
• [28:10] Emma Loop: “People around here are still not going to the US as much as they used to, or at all.”
• [31:03] “That’s the type of question we’re hearing...it illustrates the bittersweet moment that we’re in right now.” — Emma Loop

---

Important Timestamps

• 03:33 — Real-life trucker and resident frustrations with traffic
• 06:49 - 08:09 — Maroon family’s multifaceted, expensive opposition
• 09:24 – 11:34 — 2012 agreement, Maroons’ failed referendum, and public/media perceptions
• 12:00 – 12:26 — Why Gordie Howe is the bridge’s namesake
• 14:37 – 17:22 — Trump’s sudden opposition, Maroon’s lobbying and donations, last-minute political drama
• 18:59 – 20:10 — The secretive new revenue-sharing deal
• 25:14 – 26:39 — Canadian-only ribbon-cutting, Doug Ford’s remarks
• 28:10 – 31:33 — Local reaction: excitement, ambivalence, and practical questions about cross-border travel

---

Conclusion

The saga of the Gordie Howe Bridge is about more than concrete and steel; it's a case study in cross-border politics, entrenched private interests, and shifting international relationships. Despite being a literal statement of friendship, the bridge’s opening is marked by uncertainty, unanswered questions, and the reality that, for many in Windsor-Detroit, the sense of cross-border ease has changed—but hope persists that cooperation will one day restore not just traffic flow, but goodwill.

Transcript

[Emma Loop]

Still waiting in line.

[Stamps.com Advertiser]

Again, that's time you'll never get back. Save time and money with stamps.com over 4 million businesses have skipped the line with stamps.com join them to save up to 90% off carrier rates from your computer or phone right now. Print postage for certified mail, registered mail and packages in seconds. Then schedule a pickup right from your home or office for a limited time. Go to stamps.com and use code podcast for a free welcome gift. Taxes and fees apply.

[CBC Announcer]

This is a CBC podcast.

[Aaron Ware]

Hi, I'm Aaron Ware. Today the Gordie Howe Bridge is set to officially and finally open to the public, connecting Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan. Dignitaries gathered on Friday to cut the ribbon and celebrate its opening.

[Podcast Intro/Outro Announcer]

3, 2, 1.

[Aaron Ware]

But only on the Canadian side of the bridge.

[Event Narrator]

Given the recent tariff action from the U.S. we felt that we should focus today on celebrating here in Canada, on the workers who put in all the work to build this bridge, the many Canadians.

[Aaron Ware]

The joint ceremony was cancelled after US President Donald Trump announced his plans to hit Canada with a new whack of tariffs last week. He posted on Trusocial about being disinvited on Friday. It's just one of the many bumps along the way in getting this bridge open. So today I'm talking to CBC Windsor's Emma Loop about the weird and winding road to the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge. Hi Emma.

[Emma Loop]

Hi Erin.

[Aaron Ware]

So in the interest of full disclosure, we should acknowledge right off the top that both of us grew up in the Windsor area.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

I wouldn't say I'm a Windsorite.

[Emma Loop]

I grew up, I was born in Windsor. I grew up in the county and went to high school in Windsor.

[Aaron Ware]

I grew up in Tecumseh, which is close enough. I can speak with familiarity about the dearly departed Tunnel Barbecue. Both of us can talk at length about the unique nature of Windsor style pizza.

[Emma Loop]

Shredded pepperoni.

[Aaron Ware]

Exactly. But this is not simply a case of two Windsorites hijacking the front burner to talk about their hometown. The Windsor Detroit border is hugely important to the North American economy. About a third of all trade between Canada and the U.S. passes through this crossing. For decades, there was just one bridge, the Ambassador Bridge, linking the two cities and the new Gordie Howe Bridge was a massive undertaking itself, costing the Canadian government $6.4 billion, to say nothing of the myriad political and legal hurdles it faced. But let's go back to roughly the start essentially of this new bridge. What, what was the basic idea? Where, where does the, the push for a new bridge come from?

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

This starts decades ago. I had a conversation with former NDP MP Brian Massey. He used to represent the Windsor West Riding coming up in the late 90s when he was still a city councilor. And he said that's when discussions around the potential for a new crossing crept up.

[Emma Loop]

But it was really in the early

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

2000s that we saw a bigger push for this, particularly after 9 11.

[Emma Loop]

Like you mentioned, this is a vital

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

trade artery between Canada and the U.S. the Ambassador Bridge, it was built in the 1920s has only four lanes, so two lanes on each side.

[Emma Loop]

Traffic can get really backed up.

[CBC Announcer]

Right now the 401 in Windsor ends at this split, forcing us bound trucks onto Huron Church Road to reach the Ambassador Bridge. From there, drivers have to navigate several traffic lights along a roughly 5 kilometer stretch before reaching the crossing.

[Truck Driver]

When you tell somebody you will get there at this time and then at that time you won't be there, they're not going to be happy.

[CBC Announcer]

Truckers say gridlock along this route is common and can have serious consequences when just in time, deliveries have to arrive by a firm deadline.

[Local Resident]

Whenever we're going here on Church, you know, you see the trucks lined up all the time and we definitely have delays.

[Emma Loop]

And that traffic ends up sort of

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

on Windsor city streets, not on some

[Emma Loop]

highway with, with walls around has an

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

impact on the local community.

[Emma Loop]

And so they're looking at ways that they can maybe change that.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

And also after 9 11, the bridge is, the bridge is closed because of the terrorist attacks. And it sort of prompts the question

[Emma Loop]

of, well, what happens if something happens

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

to the privately owned Ambassador Bridge?

[Emma Loop]

And if something happened to it, what

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

would happen to all those trucks that trade that vital artery between these two countries. And so then you see a bigger

[Emma Loop]

push at the federal level and you know, studies happening and conversations happening about what that might look like.

[Aaron Ware]

Yeah, and pretty much right from the start this, this idea of a new bridge has a pretty significant opponent. Tell me about the Maroons, the Maroon family, and why they're so opposed to this new bridge.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

So the Maroon family of Michigan, they own the Ambassador Bridge. A lot of people who aren't from

[Emma Loop]

this area like we are are a

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

little bit surprised to hear that the busiest land border crossing between Canada and the U.S. such a vital trade artery, is privately owned, unlike a lot of

[Emma Loop]

border crossings across the country. And that just dates back to the,

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

you know, the 1920s and refusals by the governments on either side of the BoR to fund such a massive infrastructure project. But the Maroons took over in 1979. Mattie Maroon, the elder Maroon, who passed

[Emma Loop]

away in 2020, he wrestled control of

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

the bridge company from none other than Warren Buffett.

[Emma Loop]

So the level of power that has

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

been involved and the level of influence

[Emma Loop]

that's been involved in this, an infrastructure project, has been really notable.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

And so the Maroons, they take over

[Emma Loop]

the bridge and they also have a

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

trucking company which works well if you

[Emma Loop]

own a bridge where, you know, thousands

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

of trucks cross every day.

[Emma Loop]

They also own, you know, a US

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

duty free shop, a gas station on the other side and a bunch of other companies. Forbes put them on the billionaires list. Matty Maroon before he passed away.

[Emma Loop]

So, you know, they've got a constellation

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

of companies and industries that they're involved

[Emma Loop]

in and they have been in control

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

of that bridge since 1979.

[Aaron Ware]

And as this idea of building a second bridge between Windsor and Detroit starts to get momentum, the Maroons go to some length to basically forestall the idea or prevent it from moving forward.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

Yeah, they've spent a lot of money and deployed a lot of lawyers to try to stop this.

[Emma Loop]

And the reason is because it's going

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

to cut into their traffic, particularly their commercial truck traffic. They make a lot of money off of tolls, particularly for commercial vehic.

[Emma Loop]

And so this is going to cut deep into their profits.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

And so they start deploying lawyers, they

[Emma Loop]

start, you know, spending millions of dollars on lobbying campaigns in the US both at the state level and the federal level. And you know, we've seen ads put out before.

[Advertisement Voice]

Dear Mr. President, there are two grand new bridges being proposed in Detroit between America and Canada. One is American made, American owned. It uses American made steel, 5,000American workers. The other would be Canadian made, Canadian owned.

[Emma Loop]

What's interesting about those ads is they sort of echo some of the not

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

totally accurate statements that the President of

[Emma Loop]

the United States has put out recently

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

about the new bridge.

[Emma Loop]

And you know, they're, they're basically trying to say, hey, let us just span

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

our bridge, add a new span to the Ambassador Bridge right next to it, instead of spending all this money on another bridge.

[Emma Loop]

But of course, as we know, that does not end up happening.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

But they certainly put a lot of

[Emma Loop]

money and, you know, staff into trying to get that.

[Aaron Ware]

And so what finally gets us to the point where the Gordie how bridge is, as it's now known, is finally going to happen? There's been years of legal and political wrangling. What finally gets this deal done?

[Emma Loop]

2012 is the big date to keep in mind here. That's when then Prime Minister Stephen Harper

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

and then Michigan governor Rick Snyder come to an agreement, the 2012 crossing agreement that's been in the news a fair

[Emma Loop]

bit lately as well, basically saying that Canada is going to foot the bill

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

for this whole thing.

[Event Narrator]

To put it in a nutshell, this new bridge, the second across the Detroit river is an investment in the future, in the future of the North American economy, of North American trade and of North American manufacturing. It's a sign of our determination to move forward during a difficult time in the global economy. And of course it is a celebration of the deep friendship that exists between Canada and the United States States. Now ladies and gentlemen, I believe the

[Emma Loop]

only thing the US has to pay

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

for is the U. S. Customs plaza on their side. But otherwise Canada and Canadian taxpayers are

[Emma Loop]

building this thing and it's basically the

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

only way they could get this to move forward. Because on one hand Michigan, in those years and the years leading up to 2012, they don't have any money.

[Emma Loop]

I mean it's, it's, it's just a

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

couple years after the US financial crisis,

[Emma Loop]

the financial crisis of 2008, they've got to bail out the automakers, which of

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

course are a huge industry in Michigan and in Canada. It's not a good time financially for the state to be taking on a massive infrastructure project like this.

[Emma Loop]

And then you have the fact that

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

the Maroons spend a lot of money

[Emma Loop]

in Lansing, you know, the, the state

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

capitol, on, on state politicians and funding their campaigns.

[Emma Loop]

So Canada basically says, you know what,

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

we're just going to pay for it

[Emma Loop]

and convinces the state of Michigan who has sort of control in by US

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

law that this is the way to go. And Rick Snyder, who is the governor, despite a lot of Republican opposition to this, he is convinced that this is the right way to go, that they need this new crossing. So 2012 is when that crossing agreement

[Emma Loop]

comes out with Canada saying, hey, we're going to foot the bill. But of course by 2012 it still

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

has many hurdles ahead, right?

[Aaron Ware]

So the prime minister at the time, as you say, Stephen Harper, and the governor of Michigan at the time, Rick Snyder, they make this deal. The Maroons make a last ditch effort. They put at least $33 million into a state referendum to try to stop the bridge at this point. Amazingly, the Daily show with Jon Stewart actually takes an interest and goes to Detroit to cover the opposition to essentially Canada's offer of a free bridge.

[Event Narrator]

Government spending is out of control.

[CBC Announcer]

Take the hard hit city of Detroit,

[Event Narrator]

they're trying to build a billion dollar bridge to Canada. Even though they already have the Ambassador Bridge. Fortunately, Detroiters of all walks are taking a stand. Soccer moms.

[Stamps.com Advertiser]

Detroit does not need another bridge.

[Event Narrator]

Tea Partiers.

[CBC Announcer]

It's not just Detroit, it is Michigan taxpayers that's going to pay for this.

[Aaron Ware]

But this last effort by the Maroons flops. Voters reject the bid by a wide margin, 59% to 41%. Construction of the new bridge finally starts in 2018, and by this point it's been given a new name. An actual name. The Gordie Howe International Bridge. For people who aren't hockey fans. Do you want to explain the significance of that name?

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

Yeah.

[Emma Loop]

Gordie Howe is a famous Canadian hockey player. He's from Saskatchewan originally, but he was

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

a star of the Detroit Red Wings team for many years.

[Emma Loop]

And so his name and his Persona

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

really represents that cross border bond between both Canada and the U.S. but also Windsor and Detroit.

[Emma Loop]

He, like I said, is beloved on

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

both sides of the border by both

[Emma Loop]

people in Michigan and people in in

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

Windsor and Canada beyond. So they thought this would be a good choice for this bridge.

[Emma Loop]

You know, that represents that, that long standing relationship.

[Podcast Intro/Outro Announcer]

Foreign.

[CBC Announcer]

Just added its 67th AI tool and also your 67th security blind spot. The good news? The Vanta agent works like a GRC engineer in the background, finding every app your team uses, scoring the risk, and drafting fixes for you. Vanta is the platform used by over 16,000 fast moving companies like Ramp Cursor and Harvey who are shaping the future with AI and staying ahead of AI risk.

[Newsletter Host]

Get [e-mail] okay, so there are millions of podcasts and maybe you're cool to stick with the ones you already know you like, but if you're just a little paranoid about missing out on the best new stuff, we can help. Every other Thursday, the Sounds Good newsletter will bring you one must hear show from CBC Podcasts. And because we're true audio nerds, we'll also tell you about shows that we love that we didn't make. Go to CBC CA Soundsgood to subscribe.

[Aaron Ware]

So at this point, for a while, the construction of the bridge seems to go along without too much trouble. Even Donald Trump seems okay with it. What's the first indication that Donald Trump has changed his mind or has concerns about how this bridge has come together?

[Emma Loop]

Yeah, he actually put out a statement

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

with then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talking about how great this new bridge was during his first term. I believe it was in 2017.

[Emma Loop]

You know, we don't really hear anything from the President that's sort of negative

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

towards this bridge up until this year, really. Of course, the bridge had other hurdles to face. I mean, there's the ongoing lawsuits from the Maroons. There was Covid that really threw a wrench into construction and the costs. And we didn't get any sort of inkling that something was awry until earlier this year.

[Emma Loop]

It's, you know, a pretty normal day

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

here in the newsroom in Windsor and all of a sudd. And we see this post pop up on social media. He's posted to Truth Social.

[News Reporter]

Breaking tonight, Donald Trump threatens to block the opening of a key new bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit.

[Emma Loop]

You know, just basically going after the

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

bridge and saying that it's a bad deal.

[News Commentator]

Yeah. It's not clear what in particular prompted this post tonight, but here's the key part that caught an awful lot of people in Windsor and Detroit off guard. Trump writing, I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them. And also importantly, Canada treats the United States with the fairness and respect that we deserve. We will start negotiations immediately with all that we have given them. We should own perhaps at least one half of this asset.

[Emma Loop]

Now, the six point and also there

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

were some false statements in there as well.

[Emma Loop]

He claimed that Canada owns it in

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

its entirety, which isn't true. It's co owned between Canada and the

[Emma Loop]

state of Michigan and that they didn't use any, you know, American workers or

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

products, which is also untrue. But what's interesting about that statement statement

[Emma Loop]

is both the timing and the content.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

So the content kind of echoes previous arguments that we've heard from the Maroons

[Emma Loop]

and you know, commercials and, and things

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

like that, statements about this bridge.

[Emma Loop]

And the timing is really interesting because

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

as the New York Times reports, after

[Emma Loop]

that threat, Matthew Maroon, the son of Matty Maroon, who's now, you know, kind

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

of in control of the family businesses, hours before this was posted to Truth, reportedly met with Howard Lutnick, the Commerce

[Emma Loop]

Secretary in the US and then Howard

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

Lutnick apparently had a conversation with the President. And then all of a sudden we get this post. What we also found out afterwards, I did some digging into U.S. lobbying records.

[Emma Loop]

What I was able to find is

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

that the Maroons in the months leading up to this had spent millions of dollars on a top lobbying firm in Trump's Washington. It's known as Ballard Partners.

[Emma Loop]

We also then find out that Matthew

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

Maroon has spent million dollars on political donations to, to Republicans, which is not necessarily new.

[Emma Loop]

You know, the Maroons have been donating

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

to lawmakers of all stripes for for decades.

[Emma Loop]

But what we do find out is that in January, so less than a

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

month before Trump makes this true social

[Emma Loop]

post, Matthew Maroon donates a million dollars

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

to a Trump aligned super PAC known as MEGA Inc.

[Emma Loop]

So you've got a million dollar donation

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

which even by US standards that'

[Emma Loop]

and then you've got the meeting with Howard

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

Lutnick and then you've got this post

[Aaron Ware]

that comes out and you've also been poking into some of the lobbying on the Canadian side.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

That's right.

[Emma Loop]

So I looked at Canadian lobbying records and they don't disclose, you know, the dollar figures, unfortunately. So we couldn't get a sense of how much the Maroons had spent in Ottawa and in elsewhere in Canada to try to plead their case. But it does say sort of, you know, what they were lobbying, sort of broad strokes topics and also who from the, the Canadian government or members of

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

Parliament they were speaking with. And so we did some digging there

[Emma Loop]

and it looks like they had, they

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

had hired a lobbying firm called Wellington Advocacy.

[Emma Loop]

Wellington Advocacy is closely aligned with Stephen Harper.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

So his former top staff run that, run that lobbying firm. So you've now got former PMO staffers who would have worked with Harper when he was advocating for the Gordie Howe Bridge, now seemingly working with the Ambassador Bridge, working, you know, on the other side of things.

[Aaron Ware]

And so after the Truth social post in February, the opening of the bridge becomes a bit of an open question. We had this weird false start where it looked like it might be open and then it didn't. And then this month a new announcement that it's opening but with a new agreement. Can you sort of walk us through this new, this new side deal?

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

Yes, for sure.

[Emma Loop]

So they continue to say the Windsor

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

Detroit Bridge Authority, which is the Crown corporation that kind of oversees the bridge,

[Emma Loop]

they continued to say that, you know,

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

they were on track for a spring

[Emma Loop]

opening and that testing and commissioning activities were going on. So they never really came out explicitly

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

and said, hey, there's a bigger sort

[Emma Loop]

of political discussion happening behind the scenes

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

scenes to get this thing open.

[Emma Loop]

We did hear from Pete Hoekstra and

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

US officials that that was the case,

[Emma Loop]

that, you know, he and other top Canadian officials were debating this privately and

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

trying to come to some sort of agreement. And he sort of presented the reasons

[Emma Loop]

why the US felt that the original

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

agreement wasn't good enough.

[Emma Loop]

Even though they are getting a free

[Canadian Government Official]

bridge, basically 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.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

But we don't hear a whole lot until June. We then see in US media citing unnamed sources that the bridge is going to be opening within the week.

[Emma Loop]

So there's going to be some sort of ribbon cutting on the Friday and

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

then it might open on Monday.

[Emma Loop]

And then the Prime Minister comes out

[Canadian Government Official]

and says it's positive news.

[Local Resident]

Obviously the bridge will be open at the end of the week and you know, a symbol, symbol but also a fact of cooperations between, between our countries. Great for Canadians going across the border, Americans coming across the border and for commerce. And I just want to salute the those who constructed it on both sides and looking forward to getting it done.

[Emma Loop]

So we start all preparing for this big opening but then we get a statement from the White House saying nothing has changed on our end, you know,

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

citing unfit what they view as unfair trading practices.

[Emma Loop]

Kind of echoing some of what Trump

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

said in his earlier True Social post

[Emma Loop]

about being so treated so unfairly by Canada, et cetera.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

So that seems to throw a wrench into things.

[Emma Loop]

And ultimately Carney comes out and says, you know, we've agreed to postpone to

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

delay the opening of the bridge the u at the request of the U.S. he says there are some outstanding technical issues to work out but won't say what they are.

[Emma Loop]

So then finally earlier this month we get a statement from the Canadian government saying that the Canadian government and the

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

state of Michigan, which again are the co owners of the bridge, have agreed to open the bridge with the support of the U.S. government.

[Emma Loop]

And it also provides this very vague statement about how Canada and the US have come to an agreement that involves toll revenue and toll governance and an economic development fund.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

We then get the Prime Minister at Calgary Stampede in a large cowboy hat.

[Emma Loop]

Something he referen recently but was just like what is going on here? The Prime Minister in a large cowboy

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

hat is asked about the bridge deal.

[Emma Loop]

He at first he says the bridge is on time and on budget.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

It is neither.

[Emma Loop]

That's a fact. It's, it's neither of those things. He also says that this, this deal

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

includes profit, net profit sharing with the

[Emma Loop]

U.S. but after Canada's debt is paid,

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

which doesn't make a lot of sense

[Emma Loop]

because the deal is for 15 years. How is there going to be any

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

profit for 15 years? There's $6.4 billion to pay off. Surely the bridge is not going to

[Emma Loop]

be that busy that they're going to be able to pay that off within, you know, 10 years and then be

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

able to split net profits.

[Emma Loop]

So again, it just generates more questions. And long story short, we now get to today.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

We've heard from the prime Minister a few more times. He now claims that when he was

[Emma Loop]

talking about that he was actually talking

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

about the original 2012 agreement between Canada and Michigan, not new parallel agreement with

[Emma Loop]

the US that one they're going to

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

split net revenue after operating costs, but not after debt payments.

[Emma Loop]

And he says, you know, it'll be

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

a nominal amount that'll be split. But again, we just, we don't know for sure.

[Truck Driver]

Right.

[Aaron Ware]

And, and I guess, you know, I guess if you've already spent $6.4 billion on a bridge, throwing in a bit more might not seem like that much extra. And there is still an argument for that bridge. The Canadian Trucking alliance says trucking companies could save between $20,000 and $100,000 per month as a result of traffic moving faster. But the prime Minister's explanations raise some questions. What's the political response been in Canada?

[Emma Loop]

There has been, you know, continued efforts from the opposition to get more clarity

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

on what exactly happened here.

[Emma Loop]

The Conservatives had said, basically arguing that

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

they Canada paid for this bridge in full. So why are we giving the US Any more money?

[Emma Loop]

Because this economic development fund will benefit. It's, it's, it's controlled by the US Government. So there's some sort of language in the agreement about, you know, working together

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

and Canada having a say on how

[Emma Loop]

this money gets spent. But ultimately it's controlled by the U.S. government. And, and so they're, they're looking for answers. And there is going to be a committee meeting this kind of looking into

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

some of these questions.

[Aaron Ware]

And we should say that at this point, it looks like the revenue going to the United States government is going to be about 320 million or at least as much as 320 million over those 15 years. So about 21 million per year. But as you say, there's the ribbon cutting on Friday. It's not the ceremony that you might have expected to happen when an international bridge gets opened. But what was the scene on Friday?

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

Friday, yeah.

[Emma Loop]

So the, so Canadian officials had a party on Friday basically celebrating the opening of this bridge and disinvited the Americans this last week after President Trump threatened

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

new tariffs on hundreds of Canadian goods.

[Emma Loop]

You know, basically Canadian officials said doesn't feel like the right time to be celebrating anything with, with top American officials. And so we're going to do our Own thing, thing.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

The lack of the US Presence was notable.

[Emma Loop]

There was, there was a, an event

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

in 2024 when they finally joined the

[Emma Loop]

two sides of the bridge where, you

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

know, a worker from the American side and the worker from the Canadian side shook hands at the, at the center of this now connected bridge.

[Emma Loop]

And it was such a symbol of

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

the friendship and the, the long standing relationship between the two countries and that, that economic cooperation.

[Emma Loop]

And so to then have this ribbon cutting where we're not up really on the bridge.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

We were kind of just past the customs booth.

[Emma Loop]

So technically on the bridge, but basically ground level with only Canadian officials and then of course, members of Gordie Howe's family.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

It was a notable absence and no

[Emma Loop]

one really sort of spoke about the

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

elephant in the room until Doug Ford,

[Emma Loop]

the Ontario premier, came up and, you know, made some reference to the fact that, you know, obviously there are these tensions with the Americans right now.

[Doug Ford]

Our relationship has been challenged over the last few years and President Trump has threatened new tariffs just this month. But Team Canada has never been more united. Gordie Howe always brought people together. His success was based on hard work, determination, and maybe, as I said, the occasional elbow. But most importantly, a commitment to teamwork. Something that has also defined Canada and the United States relationship for generations. The Gordie Howe International Bridge is more than a new landmark on the Detroit river skyline. It's an example of what we can achieve when our two great countries work together.

[Emma Loop]

But ultimately the message and the hope was that we can all get past this, you know, and that there's still a lot of love between Canadians and Americans, particularly in our region, and that

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

this tension doesn't last.

[Aaron Ware]

Before we go here, I do want to reflect on the symbolism of the bridge. I went back and watched the remarks that Stephen Harper made in 2012 when they announced the initial deal to build this bridge. And he said at the time, this

[Event Narrator]

bridge will also be a very timely and fitting statement of the friendship between our two great countries.

[Aaron Ware]

Does it feel like that in Windsor right now?

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

Not really.

[Emma Loop]

I mean, I guess it depends on who you asked, but, you know, people around here are still not going to the US as much as they used

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

to, or at all. It was really interesting to go back and read that coverage from 2012, not just because of Harper's comments, but because of Rick Snyder, the Michigan governor at the time.

[Emma Loop]

His comments talking about the friendship and

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

the long lasting relationship between the two countries.

[Emma Loop]

Of course he's going to be kind in that instance because Canada has just

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

offered to build and fund a bridge. But the tone was so different than what we see now.

[Emma Loop]

And I think a lot of people

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

listening might say, well, why should we care about a bridge? This bridge has been literally decades in the making and as I mentioned earlier, has involved some of the most powerful

[Emma Loop]

people in this continent, everyone from, you

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

know, Matty Maroon and Warren Buffett and Henry Ford talking about the importance of the Ambassador Bridge back in the day.

[Emma Loop]

This has been, you know, a saga that really represents the strong relationship over

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

the years between Canada and the U.S. both economic and personal and familial, and the erosion that relationship in the last couple years, particularly since US President Donald

[Emma Loop]

Trump was reelected a second time and started his campaign, his trade war and

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

of course, the threats on Canada's sovereignty. And this bridge really represents more than just a bridge.

[Emma Loop]

It represents both the relationship between Windsor

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

and Detroit, but also Canada and the

[Aaron Ware]

U.S. i wonder if after everything that it took to get to this opening day, if as many people will actually still want to be using it.

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

Yeah, it's a good question.

[Emma Loop]

I mean, there's definitely still excitement in

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

the community about this finally being done

[Emma Loop]

and about the ability to use this crossing. It's been, you know, sitting on the river and we can see it drive by it, but no one's been able

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

to really use it yet.

[Emma Loop]

So I think there's excitement. But I do think that the environment

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

has changed since when they first, you know, started building, building this bridge or even envisioning this bridge.

[Emma Loop]

The relationship between Canadians and the US and between Windsorites and people from Detroit

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

has been tested over the last couple years.

[Emma Loop]

As you know, Erin, people in Windsor,

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

we normally would go across the border

[Emma Loop]

quite frequently and vice versa, but that has changed. You know, it's interesting, we've recently, when

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority has posted

[Emma Loop]

information on social media about the upcoming opening and what people need to know know. A question we've seen from some folks is can I bike or walk across

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

the bridge and basically turn back around

[Emma Loop]

and not enter the United States? Because they don't want to go to the US they just want to check

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

out the bridge and, and they are going to be able to bike and

[Emma Loop]

walk across, but they want to experience

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

the bridge but not actually cross the

[Emma Loop]

American border, which they are allowed to do. I spoke with the CBSA on Friday about it. They just have to make sure they, they bring their, their identification because they

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

will need to go through Canadian customs

[Emma Loop]

on the way back, even though they haven't gone into the U.S. but that's

[Co-host/Guest Expert]

the, that's the type of question we're

[Emma Loop]

hearing, and I think it illustrates sort of the bittersweet moment that we're in right now.

[Aaron Ware]

All right. Thanks, Emma.

[Emma Loop]

Thanks, E.

[Aaron Ware]

I'm Aaron Wary in for Jamie Poisson. Thank you so much for listening.

[CBC Announcer]

For more cbc podcasts, go to cbc ca podcasts.