WINDSOR (WXYZ) — The threat of a trade war between the U.S. and Canada is not over, and it may soon have a direct impact on Detroit and Windsor.
On Wednesday, the mayor of the city of Windsor told 7 News Detroit he plans to veto a funding plan for the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel bus, which shuttles roughly 40,000 people across the border every year.
The move is in direct response to the 25% tariffs President Donald Trump has previously proposed against Canada, which were put on a 30-day pause Monday.
Across the Detroit River, you’ll find many people like Joe Lucier, a Canadian who lives in Windsor but works in Detroit and is able to take the bus to work.
"Windsor, Detroit, we're almost like one city,” Lucier said. "I take the bus probably at least once a week, probably twice a week. It’s very important.”
The tunnel bus, operated by Transit Windsor and funded by Windsor, runs seven days a week with multiple stops on both sides of the border.
“It's basically an economic development engine for the city of Detroit," Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said. "Almost all of the traffic is one way from Windsor to Detroit.”
Dilkens says mostly Canadians use the bus to go to concerts, sporting events, shops and restaurants in Detroit. Last week, Windsor City Council voted to continue funding the bus but on Wednesday, Dilkens says he will formally veto that funding in response to the U.S. threat of a 25% tariff.
Watch our extended video with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens in the video player below:
“I just can't in good conscience subsidize, have Windsor taxpayers subsidize economic development in the United States at a time when the president of the United States is literally putting my country and community under economic attack,” Dilkens said.
Despite the 30-day pause on tariffs announced Monday, Dilkens says he’s moving forward with the veto. He also says he could pull Windsor’s sponsorship of the Detroit Grand Prix.
“We have no certainty and as long as there is an anvil hanging over the head of my country and my city that causes grave economic concerns, we're looking at everything,” Dilkens said.
Related video: 'It was chaos': Last-minute deal avoids U.S. alcohol ban in Windsor, Ontario
In response, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel released a statement that said in part: “The Detroit Windsor Tunnel is disappointed by the City of Windsor's decision to discontinue the tunnel bus service. This vital cross-border link has long supported Detroit’s businesses, entertainment venues, and cultural institutions.”
Dilkens is now also serving as chairman of the Border Mayors Alliance, a group of more than 30 Canadian mayors. He has also had conversations with mayors across metro Detroit.
“We understand the threat of a tariff of this magnitude will hit our communities first — it will hit us the hardest. But it will also hit our friends in the United States,” Dilkens said. "I acknowledge this is like a pebble in the ocean. This is not going to change the course in the world by us doing this. But I have very few tools as mayor and this is something we can do.”
Dilkens says once the veto happens, city council would then have 15 days to override the veto. If it goes through, they would likely allow at least 30 days before canceling the service.
