Windsor's mayor is laying out the case for the city to start charging trucks a toll for using Huron Church Road to get to the Ambassador Bridge.
If the province grants the city an exemption from S.40 of the Municipal Act, the city would start charging truckers on May 1 until the Gordie Howe International Bridge opens.
That section of the Municipal Act restricts municipalities from charging tolls on roads, bridges, and tunnels unless they get approval from the province.
U.S. President Trump has threatened to keep the Gordie Howe International Bridge from opening, saying the bridge wasn't built with American steel and workers, which is false.
"Over the course of 25 years, they [the residents of Windsor] have worked hard to realize construction on the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway and the Gordie Howe International Bridge," wrote Drew Dilkens in a statement posted on social media on Wednesday. "Successive municipal governments have stood alongside residents to protect our community when construction proposals suggested inferior solutions that would harm the health and quality of life of Windsorites. In doing so, municipal taxpayers in Windsor have helped fund millions of dollars in engineering and legal fees to support our position that better solutions were possible."
Dilkens continued to write that since 2017, municipal taxpayers have spent nearly $3-million in engineering and legal fees to provide a pathway for the Ambassador Bridge to expand its plaza.
The New York Times reported previous to Trump's threat, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick met with Matthew Moroun, whose family owns the Ambassador Bridge.
"Huron Church Road is a municipal road leading to the Ambassador Bridge and is in constant need of repair as a result of the daily bombardment of truck traffic using that road," continued Dilkens. "The cost of upkeep and repairs falls directly on taxpayers in Windsor. We need revenue to help offset these expenses."
