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No sharing of Gordie Howe bridge tolls until debt is repaid, Carney says
🇨🇦 Canada /Energy & Infrastructure

No sharing of Gordie Howe bridge tolls until debt is repaid, Carney says

From Global News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Canada will not share tolls from the Gordie Howe International Bridge until its construction debt is fully repaid, Prime Minister Mark Carney stated.
  • The bridge, set to open on July 27, was financed entirely by Canada at a cost of $6.4 billion.
  • A recent deal involves splitting net revenues after operational costs for 15 years, not the tolls themselves, until the debt is cleared.

Prime Minister Mark Carney clarified on Thursday that Canada will not share any tolls collected from the soon-to-open Gordie Howe International Bridge until the entire construction debt is repaid. The bridge, a significant infrastructure project connecting Canada and the U.S., is scheduled to open on July 27 after facing several delays.

It’s not splitting the tolls of the bridge. It is an agreement for 15 years to split net revenues. Splitting of tolls, any sharing of the toll, won’t happen until all of the debt is repaid.

— Mark CarneyClarifying the terms of the new revenue-sharing agreement for the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

Canada financed the full $6.4 billion cost of the bridge's construction and development. Under the original agreement, all toll revenues were designated to go to Canada to recoup these costs. However, details of a new arrangement announced last week reportedly involve sending approximately half of the collected money to the U.S., including toll revenues.

Carney emphasized that the new deal focuses on splitting "net revenues" over 15 years, which are calculated after deducting operational expenses such as staffing toll booths, maintenance, and snow removal. He stated, "Splitting of tolls, any sharing of the toll, won’t happen until all of the debt is repaid." This clarification comes amid discussion about a "much better deal for America," as previously stated by U.S. President Donald Trump on social media.

We will split net revenues over the course of the first 15 years and those net revenues are after operational costs, it’s manning the toll booth, it’s maintenance, it’s snow removal, a series of other operational costs.

— Mark CarneyExplaining how the net revenues will be calculated and shared.

The underlying agreement with Michigan remains unchanged, according to Carney. A scheduled ribbon-cutting ceremony was canceled last month, with Carney citing "a series of technical aspects which we’ll work through with the United States." Trump has been advocating for greater U.S. ownership of the bridge, which was built and financed solely by Canada.

The underlying agreement that we have with Michigan remains the same.

— Mark CarneyReassuring that the core agreement with the U.S. state remains intact.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Global News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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