Carney says Canada will keep most Gordie Howe bridge toll revenue despite Trump's new deal

Trump confirmed Friday the bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit will open July 27.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will continue to receive the vast majority of toll revenue from the Gordie Howe International Bridge, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that he negotiated a “much better deal” for the United States. Speaking with CTV on Sunday, Carney downplayed suggestions that Canada had made major concessions to secure the bridge’s July 27 opening. “The word ‘net’ does a lot of work in this,” Carney said.

“We are sharing after Canada is paid back.” Carney said Canada will first collect toll revenue to service the debt and recover the cost of constructing the $6.4 billion bridge before any remaining profits are shared with the State of Michigan under the revised agreement. “We get the revenues.

Then the servicing of the costs of the bridge and paying the debt of the bridge, and then what’s left over, there’s a split of that for 15 years,” he said. “There’s not going to be a lot of net to split.” The Prime Minister’s Office on Monday would not provide further comment on the new agreement.

No further details on the deal were released from the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure. Trump confirmed Friday the bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit will open July 27 after his administration negotiated what he called a “better deal” for the United States. “I was able to cut a MUCH BETTER DEAL for America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, calling the original agreement “unacceptable.”

The Canadian government confirmed Friday the bridge will open July 27 “with the support of the United States Government.” While Ottawa did not disclose specific changes to the agreement, it said both countries have agreed to measures related to toll governance and transparency, including consultation on certain toll-rate adjustments and the creation of a 15-year regional economic development fund financed by a portion of future bridge profits. The latest opening date for the bridge ends months of uncertainty after Trump threatened earlier this year to block the crossing unless Canada agreed to renegotiation aspects of the long-standing agreement.

A planned June opening ceremony was postponed while the two countries held further discussions. — with files from Taylor Campbell and Millar Homes-Hill dspalding@postmedia.com