Automotive News Canada - March 2022 - 4

4
* MARCH 2022
Post-blockade, calls for
a beefed-up border
Governments tell an
antsy auto industry that
there is no plan yet to
prevent a future crisis
By DAVID KENNEDY
T ORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
THE FEBRUARY BLOCKADE
of the Ambassador Bridge that
connects Windsor, Ont., with
Detroit exposed the vulnerabilities
of Canada's supply chain,
although it could be months
before the federal and provincial
governments enact measures
that prevent a repeat. In
the meantime, the auto industry
remains vulnerable when it can
ill afford another disruption.
Brian Kingston, president
of the Canadian Vehicle
Manufacturers' Association.
(CVMA), described the blockade
as a " one-off event " but said it
should serve as a wake-up call.
" We have to be very careful
about [the] image that global
investors have of Canada,
and we need to be more serious
about protecting our trade infrastructure, "
said Kingston, whose organization
represents the Detroit Three in
Canada.
Taking the necessary steps to make the
country's key transportation corridors
more " resilient and reliable " will prevent
future disruptions, Kingston said.
Along with the blockade - which all
but halted cross-border trade between
Ontario and Michigan in early February
- he said the 2020 strike at the Port of
Montreal exposed another vulnerable
chokepoint as the movement of goods in
and out of the port ceased.
Likewise, Flavio Volpe, president
of the Automotive Parts
Manufacturers' Association
(APMA), said he is looking for
clarity from Ottawa on how the
federal government will prevent
the takeover of critical infrastructure
in the future. The
blockade in Windsor provided
authorities several effective tactics.
Kingston:
Key
transportation
corridors
must become
" resilient and
reliable " to
avoid the next
border incident.
FILE PHOTO
" In Canada, we have our fair
share of people who are radicalized
in anti-government actions
and behaviours, but we've got
now a body of work in how to
handle them, " Volpe said. He
estimated that the bridge blockade
cost the auto industry $1 billion.
QUICK
ACTION COMFORTING
Currently, governments in Ottawa and
Queen's Park are discussing, but not currently
implementing, permanent protections
for trade routes.
As the blockade dragged into its fourth
day on Feb. 11, the Ontario Superior
Court of Justice granted an injunction
filed by the APMA that led to police
clearing protesters blockading the base of
the Ambassador Bridge.
The 10-day injunction was renewed
indefinitely Feb. 18, with the City of
Windsor and Ontario governments stepping
in to lead the legal effort in place of
the APMA.
" There is some comfort for those of us
who are pushing freight that it isn't up to
the APMA to continuously seek renewals
and a court order [to] ensure that
channel remains open, " Volpe said. " It's
actually levels of authority to whom law
enforcement answers. "
The federal and provincial governments
also declared emergencies in
February to give law enforcement
special powers to deal with
the blockades. Those emergencies
have since been terminated.
Hannah Jensen, a spokeswoman
for the Ontario ministry
of the solicitor general,
confirmed that the province is
working on permanent steps to
ensure trade corridors stay open
but would not share any details.
" The government is considering
a suite of measures to help
police protect Ontarians and the
critical infrastructure they rely
on, " Jensen wrote in an email.
The auto industry wants a plan to prevent
a future blockade of the Ambassador
Bridge, a vital trade corridor for Canada
and the United States.
PHOTO: REUTERS
that severed rail and road links east of
Vancouver. Ottawa has created a Supply
Chain Task Force that will consult with
regional and industry groups on shortand
long-term actions.
Dennis Darby, CEO of Canadian
Manufacturers and Exporters, said the
trade group has begun working with
Ottawa on addressing supply chain
issues stemming from the blockade, but
no measures have been put in place.
" We're encouraged by the federal government's
willingness to at least
begin those conversations, but
we certainly haven't made any
progress yet. "
A BRIDGE TO A SOLUTION
Along with steps to prevent
more blockades, the auto sector
is looking to infrastructure
improvements to smooth out
trade corridors.
Liu: Government
aims to fill
gaps " to better
protect critical
trade and
The blockade of the
Ambassador Bridge
linking Windsor, Ont., to
Detroit lasted nearly a
week and took the auto
industry hostage.
PHOTO: KEGUN MORKIN
'TAKING STOCK,' TAKING ACTION
In February, Ontario Solicitor
General Sylvia Jones said new
regulations to prevent people
from blocking public roads would be
tackled in the spring legislative session.
Federally, Transport Canada spokeswoman
Sau Sau Liu said Ottawa is " taking
stock " of gaps " to better protect critical
trade and transportation infrastructure
from damage or interference caused by
blockades, protests or similar activities. "
" Resilient and efficient supply chains
are not only critical to ensuring the competitiveness
of Canadian businesses but
also for the daily lives of Canadians, "
Liu wrote in an emailed statement to
Automotive News Canada, without referencing
measures the federal government
is taking to prevent future blockades.
The federal response, she said, would
build off an ongoing supply chain assessment,
created as a result of serious
flooding in British Columbia last fall
Avoiding another border breakdown: Here's Howe
Second span to ease
insecurity at busiest trade
route between Canada
and the United States
By DAVID KENNEDY
T ORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
AS NORMALCY RETURNED TO THE
few blocks of Windsor, Ont., that
were occupied in early February by
Ambassador Bridge blockaders, construction
crews continued work on a new nearby
span to give auto companies and other
border traffic another option for crossing
the Detroit River.
The six-day blockade refocused attention
on the $5.7-billion Gordie Howe
International Bridge, said Heather
Grondin, a spokeswoman at the WindsorDetroit
Bridge Authority (WDBA), the federal
Crown corporation overseeing construction
of the new crossing.
With towering piers rising on both
sides of the river, the six-lane bridge will
soon reshape how people and goods traverse
the busiest trade route between
Canada and the United States, she said.
" It's going to allow for redundancy or
crossing choice, which is critical. It will
allow for future capacity, thinking about
how travel demand will continue to grow
over time. "
In addition to being an alternative to
the privately owned Ambassador Bridge,
the new span will help ease congestion.
The Howe bridge links directly to
Ontario's Highway 401 and Michigan's
Interstate 75. The nearly century-old
Ambassador suspension bridge is not
SEE BRIDGE PAGE 23
The $5.7-billion Gordie Howe
International Bridge will offer an
alternative link to Detroit, something
that wasn't available when protesters
blockaded the Canadian side of the
nearby Ambassador Bridge.
PHOTO: WINDSOR-DETROIT BRIDGE AUTHORITY
transportation
infrastructure. "
PHOTO: LINKEDIN
Here, the federal government
is poised to deliver.
The federally owned Gordie
Howe International Bridge, rising
just downstream from the
Ambassador Bridge, is one
example. The $5.7-billion project
is a little more than halfway
through its scheduled construction
timeline and is set to open
by the end of 2024.
Ottawa has also committed $4.2 billion
over 11 years to a fund aimed at relieving
congestion along trade corridors.
Rob Wildeboer, executive chairman of
Martinrea International Inc., said the
Gordie Howe bridge will help the company
operate more easily cross-border.
" I think we've got to run our business
like there's no border, " Wildeboer said.
" And we have to get very close to our
American friends because, quite frankly,
we're aligned on a lot of different stuff. "
Citing trade tensions simmering over
rising U.S. protectionism, Wildeboer
said, " We have got to learn that we are
each other's best friend. " - ANC
- With files from Greg Layson
and Grace Macaluso
Automotive News Canada - March 2022

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