Carney Defends Gordie Howe Bridge Deal: No Revenue Sharing Before Canada Recovers Its Billions

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published July 17, 2026

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has defended the new arrangements surrounding the Gordie Howe International Bridge, insisting that Canada will not begin sharing toll revenue with the United States until the money invested in the project has been recovered.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, July 16, Carney said the underlying financial arrangement reached with Michigan in 2012 remained unchanged. Under that agreement, Canada financed the bridge and is entitled to collect its toll proceeds until the country recovers its upfront investment.

“Any sharing of the toll revenue won’t happen until all of the debt is repaid,” Carney said. He explained that only net revenue remaining after operating expenses—including maintenance and snow removal—would eventually be considered for sharing.

Carney added that net revenue is expected to remain modest during the bridge’s first years of operation after expenses are deducted. He said any portion allocated to the United States would be reinvested in economic development projects in the border region.

The comments followed criticism from opposition politicians after Canada and the United States announced cooperative measures related to toll governance, transparency and regional investment. The official Canadian announcement included a 15-year economic development fund tied to a portion of the profits generated by bridge operations.

The complete text of the latest Canada–U.S. arrangement has not been publicly released. Two sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that the United States would receive 50 per cent of toll profits and could object to certain toll increases exceeding 10 per cent. Those details have not been formally confirmed in the published Canadian government statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration had secured a “much better deal” for the United States before allowing the bridge’s opening to proceed. Some Canadian critics subsequently accused Carney’s government of making unnecessary concessions after Canada financed the project.

Conservative MP Shuvaloy Majumdar called on the government to release the full agreement and provide Canadians with a complete accounting of its costs and any concessions made. Carney, however, maintained that Canada’s right to recover its original investment before sharing toll proceeds had been preserved.

The bridge, valued by Reuters at approximately US$4.7 billion, was financed by Canada and connects Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit, Michigan. Construction began in 2018, and the crossing is jointly owned by Canada and the State of Michigan.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is scheduled to open to traffic on July 27, 2026. The six-lane cable-stayed bridge extends approximately 2.5 kilometres across the Detroit River and has an 853-metre main span—the longest of its kind in North America.

Canadian officials say the bridge will strengthen North American supply chains, support manufacturing and improve the movement of people and essential goods through the Windsor–Detroit corridor, described by the federal government as North America’s busiest international land-border crossing.