A local Member of Parliament has urged a safety review before allowing additional classes of hazardous materials into Windsor via the Ambassador Bridge.
Windsor West MP Brian Masse met with reporters Friday in the bridge's shadow, calling on the federal government to provide all documentation concerning community safety before additional hazardous materials are allowed over the bridge.
The Michigan Department of Transportation (M-DOT) has approved a plan to permit additional classes of such material to be transported out of Michigan via the Ambassador Bridge. Still, Masse is not convinced that it would be good for the community.
"We could have upwards of 30 to 40 trucks per day that will come across the bridge under the estimations of M-DOT that will have hazardous material that was not provided before, in terms of crossing at this particular site," said Masse.
Masse wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez requesting written reports and studies performed on the government's position.
"I honestly believe we have ceded our sovereignty to Michigan with regards to this because they have done extensive evaluations at least for their communities, but on the Canadian side, we have not," said Masse.
The letter also asked for the federal government to reconsider funding to reinstate the Detroit River truck ferry until the Gordie Howe International Bridge opens in the fall of 2025. The truck ferry shut down in September 2023.
-with files from Maureen Revait