’We need support’: Truck ferry operator seeks financial help from Michigan and Ottawa
The owner of the Detroit Windsor Truck Ferry is asking for $160,000 a month to keep afloat.
“For 33 years, we've been self sufficient. But the last years have been very difficult,” President Gregg Ward told CTV News. “I think Detroit-Windsor is the only location where you have private border crossings. It's a very anomalous situation. And then we need support. That's just the way it is.”
The truck ferry moves hazardous materials and over-sized loads across the border.
Explosives, and flammable solids and gases are not permitted to cross on the Ambassador Bridge.
The ferry can also accommodate bigger loads, according to Ward.
“Equipment and machinery can't cross the Ambassador Bridge if it's over 12 feet wide. We take trucks up to 20 feet wide,” said Ward.
When the Gordie Howe International Bridge opens, it will be equipped to handle hazardous goods.
Ward wants both sides of the border to share the $160,000 needed per month to keep the ferry operating until the bridge opens at the very least, and possibly, even after it opens to traffic.
“It's really odd that you're [Canada] spending billions of dollars to build a new bridge because you don't think there's adequate redundancy today,” said Ward. “And then you're going to allow one of the only crossings for hazmat, the only crossing for oversized trucks and critical freight during emergencies to close.”
Ward said more than 13,000 transports - many of them local - use the ferry in any given year, and if it closes, will have no choice but to add four hours onto their route and cross in Sarnia at the Bluewater Bridge.
Ward said Transport Canada has yet to reach out to him to discuss the future of the ferry.
Windsor-West MP Brian Masse has sent a letter to Transport Canada and Infrastructure Canada, warning of possible delays in the building of the Gordie Howe bridge and the battery plant in Windsor if the ferry is idled.
In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for Transport Canada confirmed the receipt of Masse’s letter and said they would respond to it “in due course”.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.