Canada says Gordie Howe Bridge tolls stay until debt repaid

Canada will not share toll revenues from the new Gordie Howe International Bridge with the United States until it recoups its full investment, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday, July 16. The clarification comes amid conflicting accounts from both governments over the financial terms of a deal that will allow the long-delayed bridge to open on July 27.

The bridge, connecting Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, was financed entirely by Canada at a cost of 6.4 billion dollars. Under the original 2012 agreement with Michigan, Canada was entitled to collect all toll revenue until it recovered its construction costs. However, the opening was delayed last month after U.S. President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick sought to renegotiate the terms, reportedly following lobbying efforts by the owners of the competing, privately owned Ambassador Bridge.

Last Friday, both governments announced an agreement had been reached to open the bridge. Trump claimed on social media that he had secured a "MUCH BETTER DEAL for America," while Canadian opposition politicians criticized the government for conceding to U.S. pressure.

At a press briefing on Thursday, Carney...