“I have called you here today in response to the recent announcementthat the Government of Canada has approved the Canadian Transit Company’s application for a new privately owned span immediately west of the Ambassador Bridge.
There has been a shocking lack of transparency surrounding this announcement. It is a disgrace that neither the Minister nor any representative from the Trudeau Cabinet has come to the community to be accountable for this decision that will impact the lives of so many residents and businesses in our community.
I want to state unequivocally that I remain fully committed to the process and ultimately the construction of the new public crossing and will continue as always to fight for its completion.
With this announcement I want to re-iterate my commitment to the community that I will monitor and hold the Government and the Canadian Transit Company to account to ensure that the impacts on the community of this project are mitigated and that its benefits are fully leveraged in our collective best interests.
This is not just a replacement; this is a new border crossing that is taking place with a 35 percent increased capacity.
I expect the Government and the CTC to be constructive partners throughout this process and will work to engage the community to ensure that we achieve the outcomes we deserve.
As initial first steps, I have reached out to the Minister of Transport to communicate to our community directly regarding the rationale underpinning this decision, to provide the analysis his government has conducted with respect to impacts to our community and to identify specifically how he intends to ensure that those impacts are mitigated.
I’ve said many times: “the border should not be a burden, it should be a benefit.”
To that end, next Wednesday I will hold the first public meeting to give the public an opportunity to learn more about the proposal and ask questions. I have invited key stakeholders to participate including the federal Minister of Transport federally, provincially, the Mayor, the Canadian Transit Company, the Chamber of Commerce and Labour Council to be available to members of the community at this meeting.
The border and its infrastructure is part of the ecosystem of Windsor, only with a healthy relationship will we reach our fullest potential.
That job starts on Wednesday.”