’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
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.