A local member of parliament is again taking the Ambassador Bridge company to task.
Ambassador Bridge Company President Dan Stamper recently issued a statement questioning why the Gordie Howe International Bridge shouldn't be subjected to the U.S. government's "Buy America" policy, which calls for construction-related purchases to be made by American companies.
Speaking to reporters Friday on the Windsor riverfront, near the Ambassador Bridge, Windsor West MP Brian Masse says the tactic by the bridge company is not doing west Windsor residents any favours.
"When we look at the issue of our community, what they could do, and this is what we've issued as well as a challenge to them," says Masse. "If they want reciprocity with regards to the same conditions and competition on building a bridge, it's community benefits. Where are the community benefits for Sandwich Town?"
The Gordie Howe bridge project received a waiver from the previous U.S. president's administration to circumvent the "Buy America" policy. That waiver currently allows Canada or U.S.-made steel and iron to be used in the bridge construction, however, Stamper is currently calling on the Trump administration to re-examine that waiver.
The bridge company is making plans to build its own bridge right next to the current one. This has led to properties in that neighbourhood being bought, cleared and allowed to rot. Masse says he has yet to receive the company's assurance that they will work with the residents on this issue.
"The Ambassador Bridge continues their behaviour to be at war with the residents here, with the process that's going on, and we need to see proper solutions," says Masse.
Masse fired off a letter to the Ambassador Bridge Company last week, pointing out that the Gordie Howe Bridge project is a collaborative effort of the U.S. and Canadian governments and the "culmination of a decade-old consultation of community engagement and stakeholder impact" on both sides of the border.
Masse's letter urges the bridge company to petition the Trump administration to consider another waiver of the "Buy America" policy for their span, so they can also use materials made on both sides of the border.
The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, which is overseeing the Gordie Howe Bridge construction, says they expect construction to begin sometime this fall.
