Reports suggest Ottawa wanted to buy the Ambassador Bridge
Ottawa insists it never happened, but a Michigan businessman says the federal government looked into taking the Ambassador Bridge off his hands last year. The bridge, which stretches from Windsor to Detroit, is the busiest crossing in North America and generates some $60 million a year in revenue from tolls. According to James Blanchard, a former U.S. ambassador to Canada and Michigan governor, the Conservatives approached transportation magnate Manuel (Matty) Moroun to express interest in buying it. However, the Conservatives backed off when Moroun suggested they’d have to pony up $3 billion for the privilege. Moroun has owned the Ambassador since 1979, when he bought it for $30 million.