Canadian official optimistic Gordie Howe bridge will eventually open

Chad Livengood, The Detroit News on Jul 8, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

TRENTON, Mich. — The top Canadian diplomat based in Detroit expressed optimism Wednesday that an international stalemate over the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge would be resolved during an event celebrating binational relations along the Detroit River.

Colin Bird, the Canadian consul general to Detroit, commented on the still-not-open $4.7 billion bridge during an event at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge honoring what would have been the 100th birthday of the late-John Dingell, the longtime Downriver congressman credited with helping assemble the land for the migratory bird refuge in Trenton.

For weeks, Canadian and Michigan officials have been unable to say when the completed bridge would open to truck traffic, as unspecified talks with the Trump administration continue. President Donald Trump had threatened to block the opening of the bridge if Canada didn't make concessions in trade negotiations.

Bird suggested Wednesday it's only a matter of time before the bridge opens, though he did not predict a timeline.

"I know if we do, when we do get this bridge open, Congresswoman Dingell is going to have been a huge part of that, and so let me thank you in advance, because it's going to happen," Bird said.

Bird said the new bridge "represents John Dingell's vision for economic connectivity" between Michigan and Ontario.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, who succeeded her husband in Congress, said she planned the event to focus on highlighting U.S.-Canadian relations, amid the tensions fomented by Trump and his repeated suggestion that Canada should be annexed into the U.S. and become the 51st state.

The creation of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge across the Trenton Channel from Grosse Ile was a passion project for John Dingell, a lifelong conservationist who "believed deeply in our relationship with Canada," his widow said.

While the refuge is on the U.S. side of the river, migratory birds are shared by both countries, underscoring how the refuge is an asset for Americans and Canadians alike, Bird said.

Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from Ann Arbor, used the occasion to take a swipe at Trump for comments he made in December 2019 in Battle Creek, 10 months after John Dingell's death, suggesting he was spending his afterlife in hell "looking up."

"John, while you're watching from up above, smiling at this gathering, if you could help us out with just one more bridge, we'd appreciate it," said Dingell, who is now in her sixth term in Congress.

The public event, which was attended by various Wayne County elected officials and alumni of John Dingell's past congressional office and campaign staff, took place about four weeks after Canadian officials pulled the plug on a ribbon-cutting ceremony that was supposed to mark the opening of the new Detroit River span.

The 44-acre Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge opened 25 years ago this month. Five years ago, on what would have been John Dingell's 95th birthday, the refuge renamed its visitor center after the congressman, whose nearly 60 years in the U.S. House make him the longest-ever serving member of Congress.

Debbie Dingell recalled her late husband's years of "heart and soul" work on the project, including some of his infamously gruff demands.

"There couldn't be a more meaningful place for us to be than here, because ... this was John's dream," the congresswoman said. "Not only did he say to staff, ' What have you done?' Every night (he would say), 'Deborah, have you gotten more acres for the refuge? What have you done? What more are you going to do?'"

_____