Windsor city council is reaffirming its interest in a pedestrian ferry connecting Windsor and Detroit.
Ferry discussions were revived during the development of the Windsor-Detroit Amazon headquarters bid, but were put on hold when the bid wasn't successful — now city council would like to see those talks picked up again.
Councillor Chris Holt says while the city doesn't have the resources or the legal authority to get the ferry going, it could provide a major boost to the local economy and tourism scene.
Holt says letters will be sent to both the Canadian and U.S. federal governments.
"It's been raised quite a few times by this council and the previous council," he says. "A pedestrian ferry would lead towards economic and social integration with Detroit and just brings nothing but benefits to the City of Windsor. So I just wanted to reaffirm our commitment as a municipality that this is something that we want."
Ward 4 Councillor Chris Holt attends the Development & Heritage Standing Committee, Windsor City Hall, March 18, 2019. (Kristylee Varley/AM800 News)
There are several roadblocks holding the ferry service back including a lack of custom inspection stations on both sides of the border and getting additional staff in place to handle the extra travellers.
Holt says there's not much more the city can do at this point.
"There's international things that the City of Windsor doesn't have the ability to actually impose, and to pay for it," he says. "We're not closer to getting it. So I don't want to get residents' hopes up, but it is something that we still care about as a council.
Holt says he's confident the ferry service will become a reality sometime in the future.
"Integrating with Detroit in that way and allowing active transportation, pedestrians and cyclists freely moving back and forth," he says. "Not only that, the number of commuters that move between our downtowns. It makes the entire City of Windsor more attractive. As far as economic development goes, it's a no-brainer."
Prior to 2016, the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority secured a $2.4-million grant to fund a pilot ferry service, but that plan ultimately fell through.