Brian Masse says Dwight Duncan's mandate is to build, not buy, a bridge

Windsor West NDP MP and border critic Brian Masse wants the chairman of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority to do his job and build not buy a bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit.

Masse said it's Dwight Duncan's mandate to build the estimated $4-billion GordieHoweInternational Bridge and not suggest or entertain the option of buying the aging Ambassador Bridge.

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Duncan, chairman of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, which oversees construction of the Gordie Howe bridge, has recommended "the federal government investigate buying the competing Ambassador Bridge."

He also "recommended to the government of Canada that it's worth further discussions," Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority spokeswoman Heather Grondin wrote in an email last week.

Duncan was unavailable for comment Friday. In his absence, the Bridge Authority issued a statement saying it is "not involved in the discussions around the Ambassador Bridge."

Busy crossing

More than 25 per cent of all merchandise trade between the U.S. and Canada crosses the aging Ambassador Bridge, owned by U.S. billionaire MattMoroun.

Maroun has been trying for years to stop the construction of a new international crossing.

It's estimated that between $500 million and $750 million USD in trade and an average of 10,000 commercial vehicles pass daily over the Ambassador Bridge.

"When did this project go from build to buy?" Masse asked at a news conference Friday morning, referencing the suggestion Canada buy the Ambassador Bridge.

The bridge was expected to be finished by 2020 but construction hasn't started because the U.S. property some owned by Moroun needed to build the bridge hasn't been acquired yet.

"I'm surprised it's taken this long. We didn't all of a sudden discover America," Masse said. "If they didn't have the U.S. on side, then they should have had a backup plan."

Masse is asking for a full evaluation of the Windsor-Detroit Border Authority and hard deadlines to be set and met.

"This is not a witch hunt. This is about accountability. They don't have to explain themselves," Masse said. "It's not fair to the community."

Masse said a lack of deadlines is "troublesome" for businesses because they can't plan investment in Windsor.