Ambassador Bridge blockade could have ‘enormous’ impact on Canadian trade, experts say – by Pete Evans (CBC News Windsor – February 9, 2022)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/

Goods worth $300M pass over bridge every day, about one-quarter of Canadian trade with U.S.

The Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor, Ont., with the United States is a crucial trade link between the two countries, so its blockade has the potential to affect businesses and consumers across the country, experts say.

The bridge sees about one-quarter of all the goods that go between the two countries every day, according to Statistics Canada, with roughly $300 million worth of goods passing over it under normal circumstances.

That’s about as much as Canada ships to countries like South Korea, Brazil, Switzerland or Australia in a typical month, and it’s been brought to a grinding halt in recent days, occupied by protesters demanding an end to restrictions implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19.

About $50 million worth of auto parts alone goes over the century-old bridge every day, and those in that Canadian industry say the current situation simply cannot last.

Lack of parts

On Wednesday, that impact came to a head with automaker Stellantis announcing that its minivan-making factory in the area is feeling the pinch.

For the rest of this article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/windsor-bridge-blockade-1.6344714