It's official -- Canada will pay the entire cost of the U.S. customs plaza for the new Windsor-Detroit border crossing.
Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt announcing Wednesday that Canada will front the cost of the U.S. inspection plaza, which will be repaid by toll revenue.
"This arrangement is good for Canada and for Canadians. It ensures that all the elements of the project will ultimately be delivered through a public-private partnership," says Raitt in a news release. "It also allows Canada and Michigan to move the project forward immediately to its next steps which include further design work and property acquisition on the U.S. side of the border."
Masse has said the Conservative government negotiated a bad deal with the U.S. for building the new $1-billion bridge. “We basically played poker with our cards facing the other way,” says Masse. “I mean it’s ridiculous to think that the U.S., during an election year, is actually going to spend money where they could actually get Canada to pay for it, then sink that money into some type of jurisdiction to try to get political benefit.”
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder applauds the new agreement, saying the U.S. will pay to staff, operate and maintain the customs plaza.
The federal government has said the new bridge will be open by 2020.