The mayor of Windsor wants to collect tolls for U.S.-bound truck traffic using Huron Church Road heading to the Ambassador Bridge.
In a video and statement posted to social media Wednesday afternoon, Dilkens called on the Ontario government to provide an exemption under section 40 of the Municipal Act to collect tolls until the new Gordie Howe International Bridge is open.
Dilkens highlights community efforts leading to the construction of the Herb Grey Parkway and the Gordie Howe International Bridge and the need to offset the cost to municipal taxpayers.
In 2017, the federal government issued a permit for the Ambassador Bridge to expand its operations and customs plaza in Windsor, which Dilkens says ultimately cost the city $3 million in engineering studies and reviews.
He wants the tolls to begin in May.
"We're spending millions of dollars a year to maintain this road that suffers the barrage of trucks each and every day and gets worn down year over year at the cost of municipal taxpayers to fix," says Dilkens.
Dilkens noted the tolls would end after the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
On February 9, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to block the opening of the new crossing between Windsor and Detroit in a post on Truth Social.
On February 10, The New York Times reported that Trump's threat came hours after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick met with Matthew Moroun, the billionaire owner of the Ambassador Bridge, which has been pushing back against the new crossing for decades.
The $6.5 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge is scheduled to open in early 2026.