‘One-off’ allowing Canadian with criminal history to cross Gordie Howe Bridge has been secured, bridge official says

The Gordie Howe International Bridge has beefed up security after a Canadian with a criminal record got onto the closed bridge in March.

The case of an illegal border crossing which saw a Canadian citizen with a criminal history access the Gordie Howe International Bridge has been addressed, according to an official with the project.

During an update on the bridge on Wednesday, Heather Grondin, chief relations officer for the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, told reporters that security is “constantly” on site.

“It was not an easy opportunity for them to enter the bridge,” Grondin said, adding “it was really a one-off.”

For security reasons, Grondin said she couldn’t share the exact method used to breach the bridge.

Earlier this year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed to CTV News that a 28-year-old Canadian citizen attempted to cross the bridge on March 6.

“Officers took the man into custody and determined through an initial investigation that he had crossed the bridge on foot from Canada,” a CBP spokesperson wrote in a statement at the time.

“The man, who has a criminal history including prior sexual assault and theft convictions, was returned to Canada and barred from re-entry into the United States.”

Grondin said further security measures have been introduced to help avoid future breaches.

“We did ensure that our security was heightened, and that there were more opportunities for people to maybe apprehend or interact with an individual before they got to that point,” she said.

The bridge official noted she did not want to “encourage” others to follow a similar path to accessing the border crossing.

The Canada Border Services Agency did not respond to previous requests about the incident.

At the same meeting, Grondin shared that the opening date for the Gordie Howe International Bridge has not been set, but they are hopeful it will open this spring.

In the case of the illegal bridge crossing in March, Grondin said it proved to be a test of their response systems.

“It gives us the opportunity to look at our response times and how those systems work. Who calls who, how quickly people respond and react,” Grondin added. “Any opportunity right now to take in an issue or initiative, reflect upon that, improve upon it, is something that we welcome at this time period.”