Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority
The Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority is a body appointed to administer the construction and management of the Gordie Howe International Bridge.[1][2][3] The body will oversee the spending of the cost of building the bridge—billions of dollars. Once the bridge is complete, the authority will set the bridge tolls.
Lisa Raitt, the Minister of Transport, appointed Michael Cautillo, Mark McQueen, William Graham, and Caroline Mulroney Lapham.[2] Cautillo, was appointed the authority's president and CEO—a full-time position, paying more than $200,000 per year. McQueen was appointed chairman of the board. While recognizing that the individuals first appointed to the body on July 30, 2014, all had strong financial expertise, the Windsor Star noted that none of them had local ties to the Windsor region.
Tom Mulcair, leader of the opposition in the Canadian Parliament, noted that three of the first four appointees were donors to the Conservative Party of Canada.[1]
On January 1, 2016, retired Provincial Liberal Minister Dwight Duncan was appointed to be the interim chair of the Board.[4][5] On December 14, 2016, he was appointed to a five year term as the Board's permanent chair.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 HYPOCRISY ALERT: Mulroney-style patronage from Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, New Democratic Party of Canada, 2014-07-31. Retrieved on 2015-11-01. “All three are donors to the Conservative Party. Perhaps as homage to the previous king of Tory patronage, Conservatives have made Brian Mulroney’s daughter Caroline their latest patronage appointment.”
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dave Battagello (2014-07-30). DRIC bridge executive teams loaded with financial expertise, but nobody local. Windsor Star. “The bridge authority will oversee the construction, operation and maintenance of the bridge. That includes preparing the sites and managing the procurement process to select a private-sector partner that will carry out the work. The authority will also set and collect tolls.”
- ↑ Claire Brownell. Canada, U.S. form new agency to push forward on Detroit-Windsor crossing, Financial Post, 2014-07-30. Retrieved on 2015-11-01. “The appointees to the Bridge Authority’s board are Michael Cautillo, Bridge Authority president and CEO; Mark McQueen, chairman of the board; William Graham, director; and Caroline Mulroney Lapham, director and daughter of former prime minister Brian Mulroney.”
- ↑ Dwight Duncan named head of Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, CBC News, 2016-12-14. Retrieved on 2017-01-18. “Duncan was made interim leader on Jan. 1, replacing former chairman Mark McQueen.”
- ↑ Duncan to lead Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, Renew Canada. Retrieved on 2017-01-18. “Mr. Duncan has served as interim chairperson of the WDBA since January 1, 2016, and the new appointment is for a five-year term.”
- ↑ Experienced leadership selected for the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, Ministry of Infrastructure and Communities, 2016-12-14. Retrieved on 2017-01-18. “As Chair of the Board, Mr. Duncan brings considerable experience to this important position as a result of his diverse career accomplishments in both the private and public sectors and in depth knowledge of the Windsor-Detroit region.”