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drum118 said:
Has Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun 'outmanoeuvred everybody'? Liberals say no
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Ward questioned why the government, before granting the permit, didn't secure major concessions from Moroun, in particular a pledge that he would end his legal battles against the Gordie Howe Bridge.

"You drop your lawsuits, you drop your opposition to the Gordie Howe and sign a global agreement, and move forward on both bridges. But that ain't what happened."

Canada could have used its leverage to reach these agreements, said Ward, "but they didn't do anything."
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jje1000 said:
Yes, and the Morouns have constantly been serving lawsuits against the Gordie Howe Bridge (the latest was tossed out in August) while being rather sketchy in their dealings (literally building the ramps to their future bridge, slumlording in Windsor, maintenance issues with the Ambassador Bridge, the whole US on-ramp issue that literally saw the elder Moroun go to prison for a bit, etc.). It definitely feels like they were unduly rewarded despite all of this.
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Rewarded? He still has to build a new bridge. Just another attempt to stop the Gordie Howe Bridge. Once actual work starts on the Howe I imagine he'll look at the numbers and finally concede defeat.
 
Once construction starts on the Gordie Howe bridge, Windsor should look at narrowing Huron Church Road to make it a grand civic boulevard where people can easily walk and bike. Currently, it's mainly a conduit for a large number of cars and trucks crossing the border. But with the new bridge, traffic volumes will probably fall, which will make it feasible to take back Huron Church for the people.
 
Edward Skira said:
Rewarded? He still has to build a new bridge. Just another attempt to stop the Gordie Howe Bridge. Once actual work starts on the Howe I imagine he'll look at the numbers and finally concede defeat.
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I have no doubts that the Marouns will try everything at their disposal to derail and drag down the Gordie Howe project- be it from property obstructionism, to political favoritism (persuading future politicians to withdraw permits as the GHB is seen as Republican Rick Snyder's pet project) to court battles (forcing delays). Furthermore, public weariness will inevitably rise if costs balloon. There are still a lot of variables at play here- and until the bridge is actually built, I wouldn't rest easy.

Meanwhile, all the ducks are in order for the Marouns- the land is all owned, they have no doubt their construction contracts lined up, and if necessary, the Windsor city council can be "persuaded" with a nice lump sum payment for "city improvement".

Has the GHB finished acquiring all the land necessary, or does the Maroun trucking depot still stand in the way?

The permit approval prompted a rare expression of warm feeling from the Moroun family toward the Canadian government. Moroun's son Matthew, an executive with the company, sent out a statement saying "we especially thank Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada for issuance of the final permit supporting our company."

But those warm feelings were short-lived.

Soon after, Moroun's lawyers were back in court, standing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, arguing, again, against construction of the Gordie Howe Bridge.
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Ward questioned why the government, before granting the permit, didn't secure major concessions from Moroun, in particular a pledge that he would end his legal battles against the Gordie Howe Bridge.
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junctionist said:
Once construction starts on the Gordie Howe bridge, Windsor should look at narrowing Huron Church Road to make it a grand civic boulevard where people can easily walk and bike. Currently, it's mainly a conduit for a large number of cars and trucks crossing the border. But with the new bridge, traffic volumes will probably fall, which will make it feasible to take back Huron Church for the people.
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I seriously doubt Huron Church was ever a road "for the people" in the way you're thinking.
 
jje1000 said:
Has the GHB finished acquiring all the land necessary, or does the Maroun trucking depot still stand in the way?
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Was this a rhetorical question?

From the article referenced above
The billionaire has strategically purchased other homes too — in Michigan, on land needed for the Gordie Howe Bridge, another move designed to frustrate the government's plans.
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Transportfan said:
I seriously doubt Huron Church was ever a road "for the people" in the way you're thinking.
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It doesn't mean it can't be that way in the future. Windsor has some strong civic assets like its 5 continuous kilometres of waterfront parkland and its university. It has interesting and vibrant neighbourhoods like Downtown, Via Italia, Walkerville, Sandwichtown, and the University district. I'm confident that if Windsor set out to transform Huron Church, it could be a great urban boulevard one day.

The most important step is to get rid of all the traffic from city streets by shifting it to the new parkway and Gordie Howe bridge. This change, along with the renovation of the houses on Indian Road and the revitalization of Sandwichtown, will significantly improve the livability of Windsor's west end. We shouldn't let the Ambassador Bridge owner's interests get in the way of communities where tens of thousands of people live. It also hurts the development of the University of Windsor into a leading institution. Ideally, the crumbling Ambassador Bridge would be expropriated, demolished, and replaced with a tunnel or parkland.
 
junctionist said:
It doesn't mean it can't be that way in the future. Windsor has some strong civic assets like its 5 continuous kilometres of waterfront parkland and its university. It has interesting and vibrant neighbourhoods like Downtown, Via Italia, Walkerville, Sandwichtown, and the University district. I'm confident that if Windsor set out to transform Huron Church, it could be a great urban boulevard one day.

The most important step is to get rid of all the traffic from city streets by shifting it to the new parkway and Gordie Howe bridge. This change, along with the renovation of the houses on Indian Road and the revitalization of Sandwichtown, will significantly improve the livability of Windsor's west end. We shouldn't let the Ambassador Bridge owner's interests get in the way of communities where tens of thousands of people live. It also hurts the development of the University of Windsor into a leading institution. Ideally, the crumbling Ambassador Bridge would be expropriated, demolished, and replaced with a tunnel or parkland.
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We would have to wait for the Toll Bridge Troll to die first if we want to make Huron Church Road a grand boulevard.
 
BurlOak said:
Was this a rhetorical question?

From the article referenced above
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I wasn't sure if they resolved that issue yet with the trucking depot- but the fact that the Marouns have done with other properties makes it even worse and more insincere.

junctionist said:
The most important step is to get rid of all the traffic from city streets by shifting it to the new parkway and Gordie Howe bridge. This change, along with the renovation of the houses on Indian Road and the revitalization of Sandwichtown, will significantly improve the livability of Windsor's west end. We shouldn't let the Ambassador Bridge owner's interests get in the way of communities where tens of thousands of people live. It also hurts the development of the University of Windsor into a leading institution. Ideally, the crumbling Ambassador Bridge would be expropriated, demolished, and replaced with a tunnel or parkland.
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Money speaks, and the Marouns have little interest in losing traffic to the new bridge. Trucks will continue to rumble down Windsor city streets and nothing will change.
 
jje1000 said:
Money speaks, and the Marouns have little interest in losing traffic to the new bridge. Trucks will continue to rumble down Windsor city streets and nothing will change.
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Money speaks, and the Canadian and American governments have a lot more of it than the Morouns. The government needs to use its vast resources to secure the public interest and shut down this racket. That means ensuring the most efficient flow of goods and people across the border and a good quality of life for Windsor residents.
 
junctionist said:
Money speaks, and the Canadian and American governments have a lot more of it than the Morouns. The government needs to use its vast resources to secure the public interest and shut down this racket. That means ensuring the most efficient flow of goods and people across the border and a good quality of life for Windsor residents.
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Mine take is probably a more cynical one, seeing how healthcare and other "good" projects have played out in the US. The real risk is that the current situation "works". It by no means works well (it's far from it), but it's also not at a critical stage, and the Gordie Howe Bridge could be seen as an "unnecessary" government-funded improvement to a system that "already works".

That's definitely an argument you see floating around ("Why spend billions on a new bridge when the Marouns are going to give us one for free???"), and it speaks to a common thread of vested interests working against the greater good. Those vested interests will throw millions into keeping their rent-seeking privileges and preventing change, which is why it's disconcerting to see the Liberals conceding one of their controlling positions.
 
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