canada sharing with the u.s.: details of new gordie howe bridge deal released
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the gordie howe international bridge is shown from windsor on monday, july 13, 2026.
dan janisse
/
windsor star
the federal government has released details of the controversial new gordie howe bridge deal between canada and the u.s. following days of confusion and mixed messaging.
the online post sheds more light on what prime minister mark carney has stated about the agreement, which will see canada split 50 per cent of the net revenues with the u.s. through an economic development fund.
windsor mayor dilkens, who once said canada should not “bend the knee” to u.s. president donald trump to get the bridge open, called it a good deal.
“i don’t think the prime minister bent the knee,” said dilkens. “i think donald trump is positioning it politically as he brought canada to bent knee and he extracted a better deal from canada. i expect very little money will actually flow, if any at all, into that regional economic development fund over 15 years.”
the windsor-detroit bridge authority (wdba), a canadian crown corporation that oversees the bridge, has posted the “proposed agreement in principle” on its website.
the agency and representatives of housing, infrastructure and communities canada, which the wdba reports to, did not respond to requests for comment.
the details come nearly two weeks after the federal government announced the long-delayed bridge will finally open to traffic on july 27 following a new agreement with the u.s.
as part of the initial 2012 deal, canada paid the entire $6.4-billion cost of the windsor-detroit bridge on the condition it will collect all tolls over several decades until it was repaid.
details of the new terms posted by the wdba states canada “will provide annual economic participation payments, outside the 2012 canada–michigan crossing agreement.”
the deal states that for the first 15 fiscal years, canada will send 50 per cent of the bridge’s net revenues to a united states-canada economic development fund. those profits include “all revenues collected with respect to the bridge,” minus all operating costs.
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the development fund will be “established and solely controlled by the government of the united states,” according to the proposed agreement.
it also states canada and the u.s. will “reasonably agree on the objects” of the economic development fund. but they “will be for the benefit of the united states and trade between canada and the united states.”
the agreement does not define operating costs and doesn’t mention the $6.4-billion canada put up to build the bridge. there is also no mention of debt payments or interest costs.
carney previously said canada will continue to collect the vast majority of revenues and that net profits would not be shared until after it is repaid for fronting the cost of the bridge.
“the word ‘net’ does a lot of work in this,” carney told ctv. “we are sharing after canada is paid back.”
dilkens said his read of the agreement is that servicing the debt and paying back canada is part of operating expenses.
“the prime minister said there’s going to be very little revenue and that’s exactly how i read this,” he said. “once you pay off the debt servicing costs and the operating costs and the repayment costs for the bridge, there’s going to be very little left in the operating fund to divide and put into this other economic development fund.”
the renegotiated deal also confirms the u.s. can veto proposed toll changes.
during the first 15 years, the wdba must ask permission from the american government if it wants to increase toll rates more than 10 per cent or drop them below comparable regional crossings.
dilkens, also chair of the detroit-windsor tunnel for the past 12 years, called that stipulation a “red herring.”
“we try not to have many toll increases but when we do, we don’t need to do 10 per cent,” dilkens said of the tunnel board. “it’s like a give where the president can say, ‘oh, look, i extracted more from canada.’ but you say, ‘what does that mean?’ not much.”
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the new bridge agreement ends with a requirement that upon confirmation of the agreement in principle, canada and the u.s. will take “all actions necessary” to open the bridge to commercial and passenger traffic on or before july 27.
“the parties, along with the state of michigan, shall also work together to hold a ceremonial opening event no later than 3 august 2026,” the agreement states.
officials have announced the bridge will open to vehicles on monday, followed by pedestrians and cyclists on aug. 5. the ribbon-cutting ceremony was set for july 24.
but on tuesday, canadian officials backed out of the plans for a joint cross-border event after trump signed an executive order to wield new 50 per cent tariffs against canada.
a spokesperson for canada’s minister of housing and infrastructure said canada will hold its own party on friday without the americans.
“in light of trade action threatened by the united states earlier this week, it would be inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries,” arianna durgerian said in an email.
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