The Canadian Freedom Convoy is over 48 hours into a blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, and Canadian lawmakers are starting to panic about the economic impact.
Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit, is reportedly the busiest international land border crossing in North America.
As NBC 25 noted:
40,000 people cross and $323-million in goods cross the bridge every day.
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The economic effects of Ambassador Bridge closing would be felt by Canada and the United States in a matter of days.
And MDOT reported the bridge closed for travel to Canada.
Update: other on I-75
Location: Both Directions I-75 at Bridge to Canada
Event Type: other
County: Wayne
Event Message: BRIDGE TO CANADA IS CLOSED@Modernize75— MDOT – Metro Detroit (@MDOT_MetroDet) February 8, 2022
Here’s footage captured of the Ambassador Bridge blockade:
Candian Freedom Convoy causes Ambassador Bridge to be closed at the Detroit and Windsor border again today. Story: https://t.co/J9eOJEPnfG pic.twitter.com/kgZczI6d0b
— Dave Bondy (@DaveBondyTV) February 8, 2022
Ambassador Bridge that connects Ontario & Michigan was shut down by the Freedom Convoy overnight sparking massive delays
The route is reportedly the busiest for freight connecting the two nations & the blockade could have a major impact on the supply chain to cities like Detroit pic.twitter.com/8rJfG98wuY
— Peter Niblett (@Peteuk001) February 8, 2022
https://twitter.com/marckovvvvv/status/1491111081464725504
The Ambassador Bridge is closed.
Here’s the scene at Huron Church and College right now.
Police say it was calm overnight.
I’ve noticed the backlog of transport trucks caught in the protest have moved. pic.twitter.com/V9762O7dMS
— Chris Ensing (@ChrisEnsingCBC) February 8, 2022
#COVID 😷😷😷 vaccine protests threaten border trade between #Canada 🇨🇦 #USA 🇺🇸 | Trucker 🛻 blockade at the Ambassador Bridge between #Detroit and #Windsor, #Ontario, prevented traffic 🚗 🚘 🚙 from entering 🇨🇦 Canada (from @AP) 👇🏽 https://t.co/kf2IHFaiGm
— Keith Rogers (@KeithRogers2) February 8, 2022
AP News reported:
It carries 25% of all trade between Canada and the United States.
Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said such blockades will have serious implications on the economy and supply chains. “I’ve already heard from automakers and food grocers. This is really a serious cause for concern,” he said in Ottawa, the capital.
Added Mendicino: “Most Canadians understand there is a difference between being tired and fatigued with the pandemic and crossing into some other universe.”
Speaking in an emergency debate late Monday in Parliament, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the protesters are “trying to blockade our economy, our democracy,” and it has to stop.
The daily demonstrations staged by the so-called Freedom Truck Convoy began in Ottawa, where demonstrators have used hundreds of parked trucks to paralyze parts of the capital for more than 10 days. The protests have infuriated people who live around downtown, including neighborhoods near Parliament Hill, the seat of the federal government.
My advice for Ottawa residents irritated by honking truck horns: Deal with it!
My advice for Justin Trudeau complaining about the economic impact: End all mandates!
Although the supply chain crisis will get worse, scrapping vaccine mandates is the only thing that will return a semblance of sanity.
Until Trudeau and other Canadian officials cave on authoritarian medical mandates, unhappy campers better grab earplugs and stock up their supplies.
Zero Hedge noted the potential impact on the Detroit auto industry:
More than 48 hours into protesters blocking the Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit, there are new warnings the auto industry might come to a “screeching halt” this week.
“Basically, if there’s a shutdown of transportation routes, the auto industry comes to a screeching halt in about two days,” Robert Wildeboer, executive chairman of Martinrea International Inc., said Tuesday on BNN Bloomberg Television.
Martinrea is a major auto parts manufacturer based in Vaughan, Ontario. It manufactures engine blocks, transmissions, cases, housings, suspensions, chassis components, and body paneling for automotive companies in Detroit.
“We have 38 trucks cross at the Detroit border per day and 16 in Sarnia,” Wildeboer said. Since protesters have shuttered the border crossing, it appears Martinrea’s ability to cross into Detroit has become challenging.
It's Day 2 of the anti-mandate demonstration in Windsor. There is no incoming traffic from the U.S. on the Ambassador Bridge and trucks are lined up for several kilometres to cross into Michigan. pic.twitter.com/cln0q3F8fk
— Dan Janisse (@Dan_Janisse) February 8, 2022
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