Ambassador Bridge owner met Canadian officials weeks before Gordie Howe bridge opened

Federal briefing notes released through an Access to Information request reveal that Matthew Moroun, who owns the privately-run Ambassador Bridge, requested a meeting with top Canadian officials on April 7, three and a half months before the rival Gordie Howe International Bridge opened. Moroun was joined by senior lawyer Kevin Kalczynski and financial executive Brennan Lee, his son-in-law, while Canadian participants included deputy minister Paul Halucha, assistant deputy minister Marco Presutti and lawyer Jesse Tracey.

The meeting’s agenda and the government’s subsequent assessment were heavily redacted, obscuring what was discussed. Experts highlight that the presence of a private bridge owner in a diplomatic setting is atypical and may compromise transparency, especially as the new publicly-owned crossing is expected to capture nearly half of the Ambassador Bridge’s traffic. Following the meeting, the Ambassador Bridge announced modest toll reductions, and the Gordie Howe bridge opened as planned, reshaping the cross-border trade corridor. The episode underscores the complex interplay of commercial interests, government policy, and bilateral relations at a critical North-American trade link.