US-Canada bridge delayed due to trade tensions

The opening of a long-awaited U.S.-Canada bridge across the Detroit River that President Donald Trump had previously threatened to block has again been delayed to resolve “outstanding issues.”

“Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues,” Chuck Andary of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) said in a statement released Thursday ahead of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to ABC News.

The ceremony was scheduled for Friday for the bridge named after Gordie Howe, the Canadian hockey legend who played for the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL. 

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is owned by Canada and Michigan. It was set to open later this month as the only bridge that allows for foot and bike traffic between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

Andary said that the bridge would be a “vital economic link for Canada and the United States,” and that the two sides were “taking a collaborative approach.” The organization did not mention when the now-delayed opening would take place. 

In February, Trump threatened to block the bridge, citing the country’s perceived hostility to the U.S. and its relations with China. The opening of the bridge has been a point of contention for months after Trump demanded that Canada cede at least half of its ownership to the U.S. government and agree to other unspecified demands, during a dispute over cross-border trade.

Invitations for the bridge’s opening had been sent out this week, after a conversation between White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Michigan Democra Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. 

The construction of the bridge began in 2018 and has been funded by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority.