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“If something were to happen, it directly exposes the immediate communities, including the University of Windsor which is adjacent to (the bridge),” Masse said.
In addition to the public safety and environmental concerns associated with chemicals spilling into the river, a hazmat calamity on the bridge could cause an economic disaster, he said. Shutting down North America’s busiest border crossing for a prolonged period (weeks or even months) could cripple the local auto industry and the transport of essential goods during the pandemic, Masse said.
Currently, hazmat trucks use the Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry or cross the Bluewater Bridge in Sarnia. In four years, when the new Gordie Howe International Bridge opens, it will be equipped and designed to handle hazmat trucks.
The Ambassador Bridge has been trying for years to get some relief from the Michigan ban and renewed its efforts starting in May. Just two months ago, Windsor city council unanimously opposed the bridge’s bid, as did the Windsor Fire and Rescue Service, joining a long list of opponents in Michigan.
The move to include the provision in the COVID bill in Michigan “shows the immense tentacles of the Ambassador Bridge in lobbying politics, there’s no doubt,” Masse said, suggesting that if Michigan allows this, the Government of Canada must step up with its own hazmat regulations for the bridge.
“This is an incredible public safety issue but also an economic issue that shouldn’t be underestimated in terms of its impact,” he said. For this provision to be passed like this “undermines not only the safety of the border, but also to some degree the relationship between our two countries handling hazardous and dangerous materials going back and forth.”
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