A Canada-only ceremony celebrating next week’s planned opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge is set to take place in Windsor, Ont., on Friday. Premier Doug Ford issued a news release on Thursday, saying he will be joined by Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria, federal Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens to provide remarks at an event starting at 11:30 a.m. Prime Minister Mark Carney is not expected to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Full details of the event have not yet been released. Scaled-back ceremony The cable-stayed bridge, expected to open to traffic on Monday, July 27, will connect Windsor and Detroit, Mich. Political tensions and the ongoing trade dispute between Canada and the U.S. have led to a scaled-back opening, with a joint bridge celebratation between the two countries being cancelled. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) says the bridge will begin welcoming travellers as early as noon Monday. “Designed with six bridge lanes, 16 toll lanes and 60 Canada and U.S. inspection lanes, the new crossing and its modern ports of entry enhance efficiency, reliability and security for commercial and passenger traffic,” the WDBA says in a news release. What’s the deal? According to the WDBA, the deal to open the bridge is described as a “proposed agreement in principle” that runs parallel to the original Canada-Michigan Crossing Agreement signed in 2012. That initial deal is not being amended or modified by the new agreement. The deal also states that Canada will share 50 per cent of net bridge and crossing-related revenues with the U.S. for the first 15 years. Ceremony follows delay The bridge has been ready since last month, and there was expectation it would open in June after Carney appeared to confirm reporting from U.S. media outlets. But days later, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the opening were put on hold, with Carney insisting at the time that there was “no big drama.” Earlier this year, CTV News reported that both sides were trying to quietly negotiate an opening date after U.S. President Donald Trump complained in February that Canada was not treating the U.S. fairly on trade. Trump went on a lengthy tirade on social media that included the construction of the bridge as part of his grievance. Construction on the Gordie Howe Bridge began in 2018. The international crossing will be among the top five longest bridges in North America. With files from CTV News Ottawa bureau manager Stephanie Ha, CTV News’ senior political correspondent Mike Le Couteur and the Canadian Press
