Latest news with #TunnelBus
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Windsor mayor points to tariff threat as reason to kill Tunnel Bus
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens pointed this week to the threat of tariffs as a reason to kill the Tunnel Bus service connecting his city and Detroit. President Donald Trump on Monday agreed to place a 30-day pause on imposing tariffs on Canadian products after threatening to move forward with them, but Dilkens indicated in a note to the Free Press that the mayor would not reverse course at this time. "As long as that severe economic threat hangs over our heads, I cannot in good conscience subsidize a transit service that brings 40,000 Canadians to the United States to spend their money every year. The Tunnel Bus is almost exclusively an economic engine for Detroit and sees very little U.S. visitors coming to Canada," he said Tuesday. "It costs us $1.6 million each year to provide this service." Posting Monday on the social media site X, Dilkens had said he intended to veto a Windsor City Council decision to continue the service, asking "Why would we want to subsidize economic development in the United States when their president is assaulting our communities? We receive almost no benefit in return." He also posted that if the 25% tariffs (10% for Canadian energy products) are imposed, the city would pull its sponsorship of the Detroit Grand Prix and review other spending to focus on Canadian-made goods. Trump had threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico but opted to pause the tariffs after conversations with leaders of both countries, who reportedly pledged to boost resources at both borders. Trump went ahead with imposing additional tariffs on products from China. The threat of tariffs from the White House has prompted worries about the impact on U.S. consumers from higher prices and the possibility of retaliatory tariffs decreasing demand for U.S. goods abroad. The fate of the Tunnel Bus, however, was in question before the tariffs appeared imminent. The service has been the subject of wrangling in Windsor, with city officials concerned about how changes to Canadian federal sick time requirements were blowing a hole in the budget. The changes targeted only the Tunnel Bus service, as a cross-border operation, but affected all employees at Transit Windsor, which oversees it, city officials previously told the Free Press. The Windsor Star reported Monday that council had voted to save the service on Jan. 27, "which Dilkens threatened to eliminate in his 2025 budget," but that Dilkens said he might veto that budget amendment. Transit advocates, who have called the bus service essential, expressed skepticism about the mayor's explanation on social media. 'The mayor has been clear from the start that his opposition to worker rights was the primary motivation behind ending the bus service, and has since championed its privatization. This is opportunism at its worst, and the mayor intends to use our state of national unity to harm the lower class and privatize vital service. He should be ashamed of himself,' Josh Sankarlal, a steering committee member for the advocacy group Activate Transit Windsor Essex, said in a post on Facebook. Windsor officials told the Free Press previously that without budget changes, taxes would need to be increased to an unpalatable level and that tunnel bus ridership had declined from years ago. A fare increase was not considered realistic to cover the budget gap because it would price out users. The service, which runs on an hourly schedule, is currently $10 to ride each way. It's not clear how soon the service could end. Steve Habrun, acting executive director for Transit Windsor, told the Free Press previously that preliminary 2024 numbers put the Tunnel Bus at 85,000 rides for the year, with Transit Windsor as a whole at about 9.6 million rides. Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@ Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Windsor mayor says tariff threat reason to kill Tunnel Bus
USA Today
05-02-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Fate of Tunnel Bus transit service
Good morning, today is Wednesday. ☁️ Forecast: The expected high for today is 28 degrees. It'll be mostly cloudy and chilly. And here's what we know about the impending winter storm. 🎧 Prefer to listen to the news? Here are today's top stories. The Tunnel Bus service that connects the cities of Windsor and Detroit could end as Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens says the tariff threat is a reason to stop the service. While there is currently a 30-day pause on tariffs on Canadian products, Dilkens said "As long as that severe economic threat hangs over our heads, I cannot in good conscience subsidize a transit service that brings 40,000 Canadians to the United States to spend their money every year..." Additionally, he posted on the social media site X that if the 25% tariffs (10% for Canadian energy products) are imposed, the city would pull its sponsorship of the Detroit Grand Prix and review other spending to focus on Canadian-made goods. We have more in this story. Also worth reading 🌎 Nation: President Donald Trump, proposing a major shift in Middle East policy, called for the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip and relocate roughly two million Palestinians to neighboring Arab countries, USA Today reports. 📰News: Ilitch Holdings CEO Chris Ilitch and his wife Kelle Ilitch have filed for divorce, prompting questions about his stake in his family's business empire, which includes the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings. 🛋️ Business: Furniture retailer Gardner White announced Tuesday that the first store for its new GW HOME brand concept will be in downtown Detroit. Here's more. 🚗 Autos: American automakers have relied on labor from neighbors to the north and south since the early days of auto production in North America. Reporter Jackie Charniga has more on the history. 📺 Television: Christy McDonald is the latest well-known Detroit broadcast journalist to announce she is leaving WDIV-TV's Local 4 News team. We appreciate you starting your morning with us. Here's your opportunity to support local journalism and get unlimited digital access to all we have to offer. Obituaries | Podcasts
USA Today
05-02-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Windsor mayor points to tariff threat as reason to kill Tunnel Bus
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens pointed this week to the threat of tariffs as a reason to kill the Tunnel Bus service connecting his city and Detroit. President Donald Trump on Monday agreed to place a 30-day pause on imposing tariffs on Canadian products after threatening to move forward with them, but Dilkens indicated in a note to the Free Press that the mayor would not reverse course at this time. "As long as that severe economic threat hangs over our heads, I cannot in good conscience subsidize a transit service that brings 40,000 Canadians to the United States to spend their money every year. The Tunnel Bus is almost exclusively an economic engine for Detroit and sees very little U.S. visitors coming to Canada," he said Tuesday. "It costs us $1.6 million each year to provide this service." Posting Monday on the social media site X, Dilkens had said he intended to veto a Windsor City Council decision to continue the service, asking "Why would we want to subsidize economic development in the United States when their president is assaulting our communities? We receive almost no benefit in return." He also posted that if the 25% tariffs (10% for Canadian energy products) are imposed, the city would pull its sponsorship of the Detroit Grand Prix and review other spending to focus on Canadian-made goods. Trump had threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico but opted to pause the tariffs after conversations with leaders of both countries, who reportedly pledged to boost resources at both borders. Trump went ahead with imposing additional tariffs on products from China. The threat of tariffs from the White House has prompted worries about the impact on U.S. consumers from higher prices and the possibility of retaliatory tariffs decreasing demand for U.S. goods abroad. The fate of the Tunnel Bus, however, was in question before the tariffs appeared imminent. The service has been the subject of wrangling in Windsor, with city officials concerned about how changes to Canadian federal sick time requirements were blowing a hole in the budget. The changes targeted only the Tunnel Bus service, as a cross-border operation, but affected all employees at Transit Windsor, which oversees it, city officials previously told the Free Press. The Windsor Star reported Monday that council had voted to save the service on Jan. 27, "which Dilkens threatened to eliminate in his 2025 budget," but that Dilkens said he might veto that budget amendment. Transit advocates, who have called the bus service essential, expressed skepticism about the mayor's explanation on social media. 'The mayor has been clear from the start that his opposition to worker rights was the primary motivation behind ending the bus service, and has since championed its privatization. This is opportunism at its worst, and the mayor intends to use our state of national unity to harm the lower class and privatize vital service. He should be ashamed of himself,' Josh Sankarlal, a steering committee member for the advocacy group Activate Transit Windsor Essex, said in a post on Facebook. Windsor officials told the Free Press previously that without budget changes, taxes would need to be increased to an unpalatable level and that tunnel bus ridership had declined from years ago. A fare increase was not considered realistic to cover the budget gap because it would price out users. The service, which runs on an hourly schedule, is currently $10 to ride each way. It's not clear how soon the service could end. Steve Habrun, acting executive director for Transit Windsor, told the Free Press previously that preliminary 2024 numbers put the Tunnel Bus at 85,000 rides for the year, with Transit Windsor as a whole at about 9.6 million rides. Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@ Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at
