'Hard to believe': Windsor mayor on feds saying they don’t regulate transport of hazardous material across bridge

Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont. on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

Windsor city councillors have voted to send a second letter to the federal government — including input from city police and fire officials, the University of Windsor, the local health unit and Canada Border Services Agency — raising serious concerns about the transportation of hazardous materials across the Ambassador Bridge.

“I’m wondering what, in terms of the municipality, we can do to ban these dangerous goods from travelling on our municipal roads or even over the water,” said Ward 6 councillor Jo-Anne Gignac.

The recommendation, proposed by Gignac during Monday’s city council meeting, follows an Aug. 30 decision by the Michigan Department of Transportation to permit the movement of Class 3 (flammable liquids) and Class 8 (corrosive materials) substances across the Ambassador Bridge. This came after extensive lobbying by the Detroit International Bridge Company to ease restrictions.

When the Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry shut down in September 2023 due to financial issues, the closest available international land crossing permitting the transport of hazardous goods was the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia.

According to the federal government, it does not regulate the movement of commercial vehicles over or in these structures, “nor what they are allowed to transport,” as stated on its website.

At Monday’s meeting, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said he finds that “very hard to believe.”

“The federal government is shirking responsibility here, so someone has to hold them accountable to step up,” Dilkens said.

“They’re the ones who order the Ambassador Bridge to fix falling concrete and any other minor maintenance issue. They have the ability to regulate — but they don’t have the ability to regulate the crossing of dangerous goods over an international waterway.”

MDOT has previously said that the transport of hazardous materials across the Ambassador Bridge, which goes into effect Oct. 29, will include safety measures, such as vehicle escorts.

“So we’re going to pay our municipal police force to escort a private company’s desire to haul caustic and dangerous goods through our city? Come on,” Gignac said.

If MDOT’s decision proceeds, Gignac said she wants the city to come up with a plan to recover any costs related to police and fire services in the event of a spill.

“And are they prepared? Do we know, like we do when trains come through the municipality, where they now have to identify on their tankers what’s in it? I don’t think they do that with haulage,” said Gignac.

“That should be a requirement across Canada. But let’s start here in Windsor.”

Windsor’s chief administrative officer Joe Mancina said Monday that a previous letter opposing the transport of hazardous materials across the bridge was sent to the federal government by Windsor fire chief Stephen Laforet.

City officials also said they are reviewing potential adjustments to municipal traffic bylaws, as hazardous materials transported off the bridge would pass through Huron Church Road and Wyandotte Street West.

“[The federal government says] they’ve looked at 20 years of data and the restrictions that are in place. They acknowledge that is clearly providing a level of safety and there have been no incidents,” Dilkens said.

“Then, the next sentence, they say there’s no data to support that there would be any issue if things were changed.”

Gignac said the letter to the federal government should make clear that the city “expects to be reimbursed” for any costs associated with a spill.

Councillors approved including comments from the University of Windsor, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, and emergency services.

“If we can add the CBSA in here, because they’re strictly against this and have been for many years, based on their location and their officers,” said Ward 8 councillor Gary Kaschak.