Roads: Ambassador & Gordie Howe Bridges

[Monarch Butterfly]

Holly Roberts

Trump is threatening to block the Ontario–Michigan bridge until the U.S. is “fully compensated.” Ummmm … compensated for what exactly? CANADA PAID FOR THE BRIDGE, CANADA BUILT IT. CANADA FUNDED IT....

www.facebook.com

 

[christiesplits]

It’s pretty simple.

This is about Trump wanting the bridge named after him.

 

[junctionist]

Perhaps there's a negotiation play that's possible where we pull Canadian investment in the Ambassador Bridge as leverage to get the Americans to open the new bridge? Perhaps just shut the Canadian customs plaza down for some time to stop the flow of American goods into Canada? That could also help to shut down the Ambassador Bridge forever as a vehicular crossing, allowing for the revitalization of West Windsor and granting the Canadian government the monopoly on bridges in Windsor-Detroit.

 

[Haljackey]

Perhaps there's a negotiation play that's possible where we pull Canadian investment in the Ambassador Bridge as leverage to get the Americans to open the new bridge? Perhaps just shut the Canadian customs plaza down for some time to stop the flow of American goods into Canada? That could also help to shut down the Ambassador Bridge forever as a vehicular crossing, allowing for the revitalization of West Windsor and granting the Canadian government the monopoly on bridges in Windsor-Detroit.

Do you know how many jobs depend on that bridge? You're asking so many workers to lose their job (even if temporarily) to play politics with an insane person. Not everyone / every business may come back if things become too chaotic instead of stable

The 2022 trucker protest was bad enough, and that was only a day of shutdown.

Yes I know Blue Water Bridge exists- but that is a lengthy detour and is already pretty busy. It would cause additional delays which no one is happy about- esp for shipments from Windsor area that need to go around a very long way.

 

[Haljackey]

Daily show pokes fun of the whole mess

~7 mins in

 

[robmausser]

View attachment 714604

Holly Roberts

Trump is threatening to block the Ontario–Michigan bridge until the U.S. is “fully compensated.” Ummmm … compensated for what exactly? CANADA PAID FOR THE BRIDGE, CANADA BUILT IT. CANADA FUNDED IT....

www.facebook.com

Whats that bridge there in the background? I'm sure it has nothing to do with any of this........ ..... .....

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Morouns ramped up bridge lobbying before Trump’s Gordie Howe threats​

Matthew Moroun, owner of the Ambassador Bridge, has also donated heavily to Republicans​

From https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/trump-gordie-howe-moroun-bridge-lobby-ambassador-ballard-9.7085529

It’s no secret that the Morouns, owners and operators of the nearly 100-year-old Ambassador Bridge connecting Michigan and Ontario, are no fan of the new competing span down the Detroit River.

The billionaire family has spent years — and millions of dollars — fighting the construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which once open will end their monopoly on commercial truck toll revenue in the area.

But an analysis of U.S. federal lobbying and campaign finance data sheds fresh light on how the family has sought to influence the political landscape around the busiest land border crossing between the U.S. and Canada.

Those efforts have drawn renewed scrutiny this week after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to block the opening of the more than $6-billion bridge that the Canadian government paid for in full, further inflaming tensions between the two countries.

On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Trump’s social media broadside came just hours after Michigan trucking titan Matthew Moroun, chairman of the company that oversees the Ambassador Bridge, met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington — and that Lutnick then spoke to the president by phone.

Neither Moroun nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comment from CBC News. CBC has not independently confirmed the New York Times report.

Bridge hires Trump-connected lobbying firm​

Matthew Moroun is the chairman of the Detroit International Bridge Company. The company owns and runs the Ambassador Bridge, and the Canadian Transit Company operates the Canadian half of the bridge.

In the summer, the bridge company revived its working relationship with Ballard Partners, a top lobbying firm in Trump’s Washington with deep ties to his administration — including his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, a former Ballard partner.

The firm first registered to lobby on behalf of the bridge company in the spring of 2018 — months before construction officially kicked off on the nearby Gordie Howe bridge. During the first Trump administration, the company would pay Ballard at least $2.5 million US to lobby on transportation regulation and “issues related to construction and operation of international bridges,” according to disclosure reports.

The amount is more than the bridge company had ever spent in previous years on other lobbyists.

Morouns make sizeable contributions to Republicans​

Matthew Moroun and his wife have been frequent donors to Republican candidates, political action committees, and congressional campaign arms over the years.

He hasn’t always supported Trump, though. In 2023, Moroun gave $236,800 US to Never Back Down Inc., a super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

But Moroun’s support of the party didn’t end with DeSantis’ eventual withdrawal from the race. In July, roughly a month before Ballard started lobbying for the bridge company again, Moroun gave the Republican National Committee a total of $250,000 US, according to Federal Election Commission data.

The three payments dated July 8, 2025, each included different memos: A $44,300 donation was listed as a “contribution,” a $72,800 donation was listed as a “headquarters account contribution,” and $132,900 donation was listed as a “legal proceedings account contribution.”

It’s unclear to which legal proceedings the memo refers, but Trump in 2024 reportedly struck a joint fundraising agreement with the Republican National Committee to funnel donations to his campaign and a PAC that has paid his hefty legal fees.

 

[hw621]

Morouns ramped up bridge lobbying before Trump’s Gordie Howe threats​

Matthew Moroun, owner of the Ambassador Bridge, has also donated heavily to Republicans​

From https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/trump-gordie-howe-moroun-bridge-lobby-ambassador-ballard-9.7085529




The amount is more than the bridge company had ever spent in previous years on other lobbyists.
View attachment 714877

Political corruption at its worst...

 

[nfitz]

Whats that bridge there in the background? I'm sure it has nothing to do with any of this........ ..... .....

That's the 1920s Mouron-owned Ambassador Bridge - though maybe the location looks too far upstream - the wrong side of Downtown Detroit.

The new Donald Trump King of North America Memorial Bridge is in the foreground (perhaps I'm getting ahead of things a bit)

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

2.3K views · 92 reactions | You don’t have to be American or Canadian to see what is happening with the Gordie Howe International Bridge for what it truly is: a stark demonstration of how influence, money and strategic interests can override fairness

You don’t have to be American or Canadian to see what is happening with the Gordie Howe International Bridge for what it truly is: a stark demonstration of how influence, money and strategic...

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You don’t have to be American or Canadian to see what is happening with the Gordie Howe International Bridge for what it truly is: a stark demonstration of how influence, money and strategic interests can override fairness, cooperation and common sense. The Gordie Howe Bridge, a six lane international crossing linking Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, was financed almost entirely by Canada at a cost of roughly 4.7 billion dollars, with Canada taking the financial risk because previous U.S. administrations declined to invest federal dollars. Canada also agreed under longstanding agreements that the bridge would be jointly owned by the Canadian government and the State of Michigan, financed by tolls over time. This is not a vanity project. It is the most consequential infrastructure connection on the northern border in a generation, relieving chronic congestion, lowering trade costs, boosting supply chains and creating mutual economic benefits for both countries. And yet, the U.S. president has taken the extraordinary step of threatening to block its opening unless Canada agrees to terms that give the United States at least half ownership and greater control, even though Canada already paid for it and the ownership structure was agreed years ago. What makes this more than just political theatre is who stood to gain from blocking the bridge. For decades, the Moroun family, a billionaire dynasty that owns the Ambassador Bridge, the older private crossing nearby that handles a huge share of U.S. Canada trade, has fought the Gordie Howe project tooth and nail. They saw it not as infrastructure for the public good, but as competition threatening to eat into their lucrative toll revenue and tax free fuel concessions. Reports indicate that members of the Moroun family met with key U.S. officials shortly before the president’s social media ultimatum, raising the troubling possibility that private profit played a role in public policy decisions. Make no mistake: when Canada builds something that benefits both sides of the border, fully finances it, honors every agreement and yet is met with ultimatums and threats instead of cooperation, the question is not just about ownership, it is about power and whose interests are actually being served. Is this about fair trade and shared prosperity? Or is it about protecting an entrenched monopoly and manufacturing leverage for unrelated geopolitical bargaining? And while some try to spin this as putting America first, the reality for millions on both sides of the border is simple: Blocking the Gordie Howe Bridge hurts ordinary workers, manufacturers, truckers, farmers and families who depend on fluid trade and stable supply chains. Cutting off progress because of political posturing or billionaire influence is not leadership, it is obstruction. Infrastructure should not be a bargaining chip. People’s livelihoods should not be collateral. Promises made years ago should not be rewritten on a whim. This bridge was built with vision, cooperation and shared interest, and the world should see this moment for what it is: a test of whether leaders will choose people over profit, and partnership over political leverage.

 

[junctionist]

Do you know how many jobs depend on that bridge? You're asking so many workers to lose their job (even if temporarily) to play politics with an insane person. Not everyone / every business may come back if things become too chaotic instead of stable

The 2022 trucker protest was bad enough, and that was only a day of shutdown.

Yes I know Blue Water Bridge exists- but that is a lengthy detour and is already pretty busy. It would cause additional delays which no one is happy about- esp for shipments from Windsor area that need to go around a very long way.

As you can see from Monarch Butterfly's posts, the Ambassador Bridge's owners are very effective lobbyists, and they're only in it for themselves. Everyone else can suffer. The important thing is that their bridge keeps printing money. As such, any leverage over the bridge owner can help the government in this dispute. Why not reduce just staffing on the Canadian side of the customs plaza significantly?

Not everyone needs to use the Ambassador Bridge. Some can go through the Niagara bridges; some can use the Windsor tunnel; and some can use the Blue Water Bridge. Perhaps the Canadian government could also help revive the Detroit truck ferry.

 

[ShonTron]

The truck ferry is limited to hazardous goods movement and is set to end when the Gordie Howe Bridge opens.

 

[drum118]

What to know about the Gordie Howe Windsor-Detroit bridge at the centre of Donald Trump's threats​

 

[drum118]

Possible opening March 2nd

Here's how much the Gordie Howe bridge is expected to cut into the Ambassador Bridge​

Delay in opening Gordie Howe Bridge could cost $7 million weekly

 

[Mind_the_gap]

It is very fitting Howard Lutnick tried to insert himself here - he was banking against the tariffs which were struck down by the Supreme Court:

Trump’s Commerce Secretary Loves Tariffs. His Former Investment Bank Is Taking Bets Against Them

A subsidiary of Cantor Fitzgerald, which is run by the sons of US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, is letting clients essentially bet that President Donald Trump’s tariffs will be struck down in court.

CANTOR FITZGERALD, A financial services company led by the sons of US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, is creating a way for investors to bet that President Donald Trump’s signature tariffs will be struck down in court. Traders at the firm’s investment banking subsidiary, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., say they have the capacity to buy the rights to hundreds of millions of dollars in potential refunds from companies who have paid Trump’s tariffs, according to documents viewed by WIRED.

Lutnick ran Cantor Fitzgerald for nearly 30 years until he was confirmed by the Senate in February, when he turned over control of the firm to his sons, Kyle and Brandon, who are both in their twenties. Since joining the Trump administration, Lutnick has emerged as one of the most vocal supporters of the president’s tariff policies, which Lutnick has said would raise “hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars” in revenue for the United States, eventually eliminating the need for Americans making less than $150,000 to pay taxes.

But the investment bank that made Lutnick a billionaire is now letting certain clients wager that Trump’s tariffs will eventually be ruled unlawful, at which point companies that have paid the import duties can apply to get their money back.

In a letter seen by WIRED, a representative from Cantor said the firm was willing to trade tariff refund rights for 20 to 30 percent of what companies have paid in duties. “So for a company that paid $10 million, they could expect to receive $2-$3 million in a trade,” the representative wrote. “We have the capacity to trade up to several hundred million of these presently and can likely upsize that in the future to meet potential demand.”

Cantor has already landed at least one major deal, according to the letter viewed by WIRED. “We’ve already put a trade through representing about ~$10 million of IEEPA Rights and anticipate that number will balloon in the coming weeks,” the Cantor representative claimed.

Experts say the deals are a form of litigation finance, an increasingly popular category of investing in which financial firms seek to make money from potential legal settlements. Many lawsuits can take years to resolve, and the structure can allow individuals and companies to get money upfront or their lawyer fees covered. The catch is that investors may only pay a fraction of what plaintiffs could eventually receive, and profit by pocketing the difference.

“The fact that it’s Cantor Fitzgerald, that raises some questions,” says Tim Meyer, a professor of international business law at Duke University School of Law. “It’s quite interesting that the commerce secretary’s firm is the one that is betting the tariffs will be struck down. That strikes me as very interesting—and quite telling about what those with connections to the administration think about the merits of the tariffs.”

“Secretary Lutnick knows nothing about this decision because he has no insight or strategic control over Cantor Fitzgerald,” wrote Kristen Eichamer, press secretary for the Department of Commerce, in an email to WIRED. “He has fully complied with the terms of his ethics agreement with respect to divesture and recusals and will continue to do so.”

“Cantor is not in the business of positioning any risk or taking views in litigation claims including tariffs," Erica Chase, a spokesperson for Cantor Fitzgerald, said in an emailed statement.

...

Trump announced in February that the US would put steep tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). He widened the trade war in April to include nearly every nation that sells goods to the US, which Trump said would now be subject to "reciprocal” tariffs ranging from 10 to 50 percent.

In response, there was a flurry of lawsuits, including one from a group of small businesses that sued the Trump administration in the US Court of International Trade, arguing that the president exceeded his authority and the tariffs should be ruled illegal. The trade court sided with the plaintiffs, but the Trump administration appealed the decision, and the appeals court allowed the duties to remain in place while the case is pending.

That has forced companies to continue paying the tariffs until a final decision is reached, when they may then finally be eligible to apply for tariff refunds. Oral arguments are set to begin at the end of this month, but the case could then go to the US Supreme Court, meaning it may not be resolved for more than a year.

In the interim, affected businesses have argued in court filings that they could go out of business or suffer other harms from continuing to pay tariffs. “The small-business plaintiffs in these cases have basically said ‘this is an existential issue for us,’” says Meyer.

Ryan Petersen, CEO of the logistics technology company Flexport, says that receiving a tariff refund from the US government can be an onerous process, even under normal circumstances. Companies need to file what’s called a post-summary correction, essentially an update to the customs paperwork for a shipment. “When you file those things today, it takes six to 12 months to get your money back once approved. It’s a physical check that arrives in the mail,” says Petersen.

Facing an uncertain timeline and mounting financial pressures, some companies may decide it’s wiser to accept an offer like Cantor’s, even if it means walking away from a potentially bigger refund later. I “think it may be attractive for some people,” says Petersen.

Source (Wired; 21 July, 2025)

^ Seems like the Battle of Waterloo 2.0...

Screw Him and the Morouns.

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Ps. How many people know about May 1, 2028:

may2028.org (UAW)