Michigan-Canada Bridge Referendum Defeated

[OttoVonBismarck]

As I think some on here mentioned awhile back, there was an effort in Michigan to force a formal "referendum" on whether the State should sign up for the new bridge to be built between Detroit and Windsor. This was blatantly the efforts of a billionaire family that controls the current Ambassador Bridge and make around $80m/year off of tolls collected. If this vote had passed then I believe it would have mandated a second vote where the voters would vote up or down on the bridge. Either way good to see the citizens of Michigan didn't believe what were basic and outright lies  being perpetuated to try and stop the bridge from being constructed. One of the claims was Michiganders would be on the hook for various aspects of the bridge, that taxpayers couldn't afford such an expense etc. In fact of course the bridge deal is a win-win for Michigan. With Canada covering 50% of the bridge construction and private industry the rest. Once enough tolls had been collected to pay for the bridge construction, both Canada and the State of Michigan get to split the toll revenue after that point. It truly was win-win for Michigan with no downside.

http://blogs.wsj.com/canadarealtime/2012/11/07/canada-govt-cheers-michigan-bridge-vote/?mod=google_news_blog

Canada Govt Cheers Michigan Bridge Vote

By Paul Vieira

Canadian government officials Wednesday applauded Michigan voters' move to reject a ballot initiative that would have forced a referendum on the construction of a proposed second bridge at the Canada-U.S. border in Detroit and put at risk a project that Canadian exporters have aggressively championed.

The planned bridge, connecting the border cities of Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is "vital to the Canadian government's efforts to expand trade, increase exports and create jobs," Canadian Transport Minister Denis Lebel said at a press conference in Ottawa.

He couldn't provide a timetable as to when construction might start, indicating it first required a permit from the White House. The Canadian  government agreed in June to provide as much as $550 million for the construction of the new bridge, which is meant to help speed the flow of goods through one of North America's busiest border crossings. Under the deal, the private sector would pick up the rest of the bridge's tab and Michigan's taxpayers wouldn't pay a cent.

The new bridge ran into opposition from a group called The People Should Decide, which had the backing of the private-sector owner of the other Detroit-Windsor link, the Ambassador Bridge. The group succeeded in getting a ballot initiative in Michigan that would have put to a referendum whether state voters wanted construction of a second bridge to proceed. The initiative failed, with 60% of Michigan voters rejecting it.

Canadian exporters have been demanding a second Detroit-Windsor crossing for  years. The Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, an Ottawa-based lobby group, estimates that roughly one-quarter of all Canada-U.S. trade–the world's largest trading relationship–flows across the Ambassador Bridge, which it said creates bottlenecks and drives up costs.

CME president Jayson Myers said the new link will "provide unimpeded highway-to-interstate access between Ontario and Michigan, and help put North American manufacturing in the fast lane to prosperity."

The new crossing would be jointly owned by the state of Michigan and the government of Canada. Once the builder and Canada have fully recouped their investment from tolls, Mr. Lebel said Michigan and Canada would split an equal share of the toll revenue.

[garbon]

A referendum on a referendum?

[JacobL]

I did my part!  Thanks for the bridge Canada!  And matching federal funds as a result.  If giant debt is going to be racked up anyways, at least spend it in my state. 

[Razgovory]

Even if Canada somehow went bankrupt or something, maintaining a bridge is well worth the cost.  Bridges are handy things.

[Berkut]

Can this bridge carry an M1 Abrams, if necessary?

[DGuller]

Can this bridge carry an M1 Abrams, if necessary?