An announcement by Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety on Dec 29 said that the Government of Canada will help the City of Windsor would pay up to $6.9 million in federal funding in 2022-2023 for the costs of addressing the Ambassador Bridge blockade and in the city’s efforts to restore public safety at the bridge and the areas surrounding it.
“When the illegal blockades at the Ambassador Bridge put jobs at risk, forced businesses to shut down and jeopardized Canada’s most significant trade corridor, the federal government was there to support the City of Windsor. Now, we’re here once again to help with the recovery and make sure Windsor is stronger than ever,” Mendicino has said in a news release.
One of the most important border crossings in the world, the Ambassador Bridge is an important coordinator for Canada’s economy.
A trade corridor of national significance, the Ambassador Bridge is the single busiest border crossing between Canada and the United States, handling some $400 million in trade every day amounting a total of over $140 billion annually accounting for over a quarter of Canada’s exports and a third of imports by land last year.
The illegal blockade of the bridge earlier this year had a devastating effect on Canadians, which caused layoffs, forced plant closures, and endangered our international reputation.
Irek Kusmierczyk, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion and Member of Parliament for Windsor–Tecumseh also expressed his gratefulness for “the tremendous professionalism and partnership of Windsor law enforcement to clear the Ambassador Bridge blockade that each day was costing jobs and livelihoods for our border community – and communities across Canada.”
Significant costs were incurred by the City of Windsor in managing and clearing the blockade and the federal government is committed to helping it address them.
“When Canada’s most critical trade artery was illegally blocked, the City of Windsor moved swiftly and without hesitation to re-open the border. The expenditures incurred to resolve this national economic emergency were unanticipated and should not be borne by municipal tax payers. I would like to extend my deepest thanks, to Minister Mendicino and the federal government, for providing the funds to fully cover the cost associated with clearing the Ambassador Bridge,” said Drew Dilkens, Mayor of Windsor
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