Ribbon

Ribbon-cutting for Gordie Howe bridge takes place in Windsor today — without the U.S.

Canadian officials to mark upcoming opening of Gordie Howe bridge

Daniel Tisch, president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, told CBC News Network earlier today that the Gordie Howe bridge opening is "bittersweet" because it's only being celebrated by Canada and not both countries.

"There's no question, celebrating alone is bittersweet. This should have been a hands across the border moment celebrating what Canadians and Americans can do together," he said.

"That's not the fault of the people or the businesses of Michigan who are wonderful partners to Ontario and to Canada. It's the fault of the Trump administration and it not being able to keep its word."

Tisch said it's still a good news day because while Trump will be gone from office in a couple of years the Gordie Howe bridge will be there for more than 100 years into the future, and the bridge will grow economic ties between the two countries.

The U.S. has been waging a trade war on Canada for more than a year now, with Trump just this week threatening to slap new 50 per cent tariffs on Canada.

But trade experts say that this bridge is still an incredibly important sign to businesses that the trade relationship isn't going anywhere, politics aside.

Moshe Lander, an economics professor at Concordia University in Montreal who studies international trade, says the geography just can't be denied.

"They are in our backyard. We are in their backyard. It's not going away."

Detroit Regional Chamber CEO Sandy Baruah agrees. He says for his state of Michigan, there's "no country on the planet" more important than Canada.

"We all know intuitively, we all know by practice, that this is a critical relationship and we cannot let it go South."

Brandon Crone, who lives in Cincinnati, said he's working in Detroit and dropped by to take a picture of the bridge for a friend who worked on it.

Hearing that Canada is holding an exclusive event, he laughed as he told me he wishes he were on that side of the border.

He says the two countries should have still celebrated this moment together.

"It feels kind of like you got in a squabble with someone in high school and decided to uninvite them from your birthday party," he said.

Crone says he has plenty of Canadian friends he speaks with, and they apologize to each other constantly for what's going on.

An advocate for cycling safety says the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority has created safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists with its dedicated cycling and pedestrian pathway.

"Cyclists and pedestrians will have their own clearing centre to get on and off the bridge," said Eleanor McMahon, a former MPP for Burlington whose husband, OPP Sgt. Greg Stobbart, was killed in a collision while riding his bike.

"That was a thoughtful piece of ingenuity.… They thought deeply about the bike lanes, not just on the bridge, but getting off the bridge, merging into traffic. How will you get to the other side? How will you be safe? And trying to keep the bikes separate from the cars."

McMahon told CBC's Windsor Morning today that she's excited to cycle across the bridge, but it will be a fairly steep climb.

"I'm intimidated by doing it in August," she said. "I'm trying to get some miles on before then."

Windsor's mayor reflected on the history of the Gordie Howe bridge on CBC's Windsor Morning today ahead of the opening ceremony.

Drew Dilkens recalled the first discussions about the bridge in the early 2000s, the debates about matters such as where it should be located, the delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent battles with the Trump administration to get it open.

"When you look at the Gordie Howe bridge, when you see how iconic it is on the landscape, and when you think long game here, it's easy to get caught up in Donald Trump and his latest tweet of the day. But … this bridge is going to be here for over 100 years," he said.

Dilkens said typically a bridge opening like Friday's would feature the U.S. president and the prime minister shaking hands and Canadians and Americans celebrating together. But "we're not in normal times," he said.

The Gordie Howe bridge now has merch — here's how the pieces came to life

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is just days from opening. Before that, the bridge authority has announced merch commemorating the bridge that transformed the Windsor and Detroit skylines — and the artists and creators behind the pieces are all Windsor-based.

The merchandise collection for the Gordie Howe bridge is officially out. From postcards to T-shirts and art prints and tote bags, now's your chance to take a piece of the bridge home.

The drop is a collaboration between three local brands, including Windsor's own Whiskeyjack Boutique, whose contributions include a T-shirt declaring — in both official languages — that its wearer biked the Gordie Howe bridge.

"It's really cool to bring a collection of fully Canadian-made products to the forefront," Katie Stokes, the boutique's co-owner, told CBC News.

"It's a great way to showcase local art and local artists … and to really shine a light on why the arts are so important in our community."

93-year-old Windsor man hopes to walk Gordie Howe bridge

James O'Neill can recall a time when walking across the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit was common. Now the 93-year-old Windsor native is eager to relive those memories on the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

At 93 years of age, James O'Neill has one last wish: to walk across the Gordie Howe bridge.

The Windsor, Ont., native has fond childhood memories of walking to Detroit on the Ambassador Bridge, taking a stroll across the border — which he says was much more relaxed back then — just to buy caramel corn.

That bridge's pedestrian walkway was permanently closed in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks. But he hopes the Gordie Howe bridge will help him relive his younger days, with its 2.5-kilometre multiuse cyclist and pedestrian path.

"It's going to be wonderful to be able to do that and to walk through the new bridge," he told CBC's Dalson Chen. "I hope I can see it open before I pass and I can enjoy that walk once more.

Family members plan to accompany him as a team, though they admitted to feeling nervous about the journey's physical toll.

O'Neill said he hoped current Canada-U.S. tensions would ease within his lifetime. But he made one clear plea to U.S. President Donald Trump: "Please, Mr. Trump: Let me walk over that bridge. It's very important to me."

Two Michigan Democrats have issued statements ahead of the bridge's opening ceremony, highlighting the longtime relationship between Canada and the U.S. even though it's currently strained.

"Canada is our neighbor, friend, and indispensable partner," Rep. Debbie Dingell wrote on X. "This opening serves as a lasting reminder of the ties that unite us."

Sen. Elissa Slotkin referred to Canada as "one of America's most critical allies" and criticized Trump's latest threat to slap 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods.

"It's particularly petty for the president to keep punishing our Canadian neighbors the week we should be finally celebrating the opening of the Gordie Howe bridge," she wrote, adding that the bridge has enjoyed bipartisan support for decades.

Patrick Nichols lives just outside Detroit. The 71-year-old came out to Delray Park to take some photos of the bridge this morning, as he's been following its construction.

He was a truck driver for a few years and would cross into Canada using the Ambassador bridge.

He says the Gordie Howe bridge will make trade easier, and he’s excited to bike across it soon.

He called the tensions between the two countries a "shame" and says he wishes Canada and the U.S. were celebrating together.

This 6-year-old has watched the Gordie Howe bridge being built for most of his life

Lucas Legare is a fan of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, watching its construction progress week by week for years. The CBC's Jennifer La Grassa caught up with Lucas and his family about what he loves about the bridge.

The Gordie Howe bridge had been under construction for quite a while — in fact, for most of six-year-old Lucas Legare's life. Along with his grandparents, Lucas has stopped by the bridge almost every week since he was two years old to check in on its progress.

His grandmother, Sharon Marshall, was inspired by seeing black-and-white photos of the Ambassador Bridge's grand opening. She thought: Why not witness history?

"I like seeing stuff getting complete and built," he told CBC's Jennifer La Grassa last month.

Now that the project is complete, he has a brain full of bridge trivia — did you know it has 216 stay cables? — and an album full of photos with it.

"Years from now, he can look back on those pictures and just reflect on the time he spent with us and how we watched a piece of history grow together," said Marshall.

Lucas said he was sad that the bridge's planned opening in June was postponed. But he remains steadfast in his goal: to cross it for the first time by bicycle, so he can really take in the view.