Cow Bridge And US Customs

Finally, someone in authority did it. And it was a US Government person as well. Someone finally gave the reason why there is no need for a DRIC bridge at all, if there ever was one.

Do you remember the above video clip? One of my better BLOGs had to do with the second Cropsey hearings and the description of how the Ambassador Bridge changed over the years from being a bridge that could handle the passage of cows to the one handling the most traffic between Canada and the United States.

• "there was an off the record discussion about the history of the Ambassador Bridge. During that discussion, Dan Stamper talked about the early tolls on the Bridge. Apparently there was a charge for cows using the Bridge although Stamper did not know how many cows actually crossed over.
  
  Just think about that and fast-forward 80 years until today. That same Bridge that could be used by cows is now the major border crossing between Canada and the United States carrying by far more traffic than any other bridge and yet is only at about 50% capacity. I have Blogged before about how many studies have said that the Bridge would be jam packed by this date and yet it still can handle millions of vehicles more without any problem.
  
  What it tells me is that the Ambassador Bridge people know how to run a bridge to handle the volume of traffic that crosses over. They have been able to do it without the need of building another bridge and are only looking at it today because their bridge is getting older and requires rehabilitation and because of the technology that requires another lane in each direction so that pre-approved traffic can flow smoothly."

What has bothered me about the entire DRIC border discussion is the failure to recognize the significance of initiatives like removing Customs Clearance away from the border, pre-processing centres which have reduced the number of trucks going to secondary inspection dramatically, the FAST and NEXUS programs and the use of technology. There also seemed to be a failure to recognize until fairly recently that the issue with respect to the border is customs clearance and not more lanes across the River.

The obvious reason for not having a big discussion about all this is that all if all of these programs were instituted then there would hardly be the need for a new DRIC bridge. There would no longer be a need to build additional capacity even forgetting that the Ambassador Bridge is about 50% to 60% of capacity now. It is probably at the lower end of that range given the meltdown in the economy.

Why listen to me though, what do I know. Why listen to the Bridge Company who actually know how to operate a bridge, since they are obviously an interested party. Let us listen instead to Ron Smith, Michigan's Chief of Customs and Border Protection. Presumably, he ought to know what he is talking about and should be unbiased.

A shortened story was originally posted this way and got me very interested:

• "Border lineups may soon disappear
  
  New technology could make long lineups at the Blue Water Bridge history as early as this spring.
  
  Ron Smith, Michigan's Chief of Customs and Border Protection, delivered that message in an address to the Sarnia-Lambton Golden 'K' Kiwanis Club this morning."

Here is the full version that explains it all that was published subsequently:

• "Licence plate readers will speed crossings, official says
  
  By DAN McCAFFERY
  
  New technology could make long lineups at the Blue Water Bridge history, starting as soon as this spring.
  
  Ron Smith, Michigan's Chief of Customs and Border Protection, delivered that message to a Sarnia audience Tuesday.
  
  Speaking to the local Golden 'K' Kiwanis Club, Smith said border personnel will soon be able to read licence plates and call up biographical information, complete with a digital photo, on their computer screens before they even talk to a driver.
  
  "The technology will reduce wait times to nothing," he said.
  
  In an interview afterward, Smith said, "We are going to have infrastructure upgrades at the Blue Water Bridge this spring that allows for the reading of enhanced driver's licences. It's anticipated new technology will reduce the inspection process per vehicle by seven to 10 seconds. That doesn't sound like a lot, but if you're the 3,000th car crossing the Blue Water Bridge today" it will make a big difference.
  
  Smith said enhanced driver's licences slated to come into use on both sides of the border will provide travellers with the documentation they need to move between Canada and the United States.
  
  "It'll be a big benefit to border communities because it allows people to have a document that they already carry. They'll have it in their wallet."
  
  As recently as a year ago you could get into the U.S. with an oral declaration of citizenship, provided border guards believed you, he said. But now, a birth certificate, citizenship certificate or passport are necessary. And come June 1, a birth certificate won't be enough. You'll need a certificate of citizenship, enhanced driver's licence, passport or Nexus card, he said.
  
  Smith said lineups at the bridge have caused major headaches.
  
  "Last summer it was hell on the Blue Water Bridge," he said. The situation was so bad that some days Blue Water Bridge Canada put portable toilets on Highway 402 to assist motorists who were backed up waiting for hours.
  
  Smith also told his audience the Nexus program has been a big success, with 20,000 people enrolled in the Sarnia-Port Huron area. In the Detroit-Windsor region, the number stands at about 35,000, while in Sault Ste. Marie it's 5,000 to 6,000, he said."

With the new processes for trucks and the new technology for passenger cars and with increased staffing at the border, someone needs to explain why we need to spend billions of dollars by the time this is all finished for a new DRIC border crossing at taxpayer expense. Why do we need to make P3 financiers rich when their business model is collapsing around the world?

This file is out of control! It is a classic MegaProject running amuk.

There is no doubt as well that Prime Minister Harper was just as unsuccessful with President Obama as he was with President Bush in trying to convince the Americans to build the DRIC bridge. Trying to tie it into infrastructure spending did not work with the President as I Blogged before.

Even Former Ambassador Michael Kergin's attempt to set up

• "a Permanent Joint Border Commission, along the lines of the earlier PJBD.
  
  The PJBC, co-chaired by cabinet members reporting to the heads of government and including officials from the relevant border, security, foreign and economic departments, would recommend border policy initiatives, as well as co-ordinate the implementation of new measures to streamline our common border”

seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.

Has the Canadian Government finally given up and stop trying to end run the President? Hardly

• "Officials seek bridge plan
  
  Ambassadors would help ease crossing
  
  By ANGELA MULLINS
  Times Herald
  
  A group of Canadian officials is calling for the appointment of special ambassadors on both sides of the border to help deal with what they call the thickening of international crossings.
  
  The ambassadors would report directly to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama and would be charged with auditing new rules related to the border and ensuring they are reasonable and necessary.
  
  The move would lead to more uniform policies, would make crossing the border easier for travelers, and perhaps most importantly, would ease U.S.-Canada trade, something many Canadian officials say has become muddled with red tape and unnecessary restrictions.
  
  Sarnia resident Ken James, a former member of parliament who now is chairman of Blue Water Bridge Canada, is leading the charge on the proposal. He sent a letter to Harper, the head of Canada's government, in September 2008 outlining the idea. He rolled the plan out to U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, during a Feb. 27 meeting in Sarnia.
  
  Appointing the ambassadors, James said last week, is the only thing that can fix a problem that could lead to dampening the U.S. and Canadian economies and, ultimately, reversing the effect of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
  
  "This thickening situation is getting worse," James said. The issue "has to rise to the top of the heap. Economics are a major problem today and free trade between these two countries is a necessity."

Whoever is quarterbacking this file for the Canadian Government ought to be fired. I cannot believe how this person or group is damaging Canadian/US relations. Haven't we learned yet from NAFTA-gate? Do we need the Head of Homeland Security to send more drones over the US/Canada border before we get the message? What other products should the Americans say that they need to protect that will devastate our economy?

Canada needs to step back and figure out that their best friend in the United States right now is the Owner of the Bridge Company. His interest, a smooth running border, is Canada's as well. Moreover, he has not antagonized the highest levels of the American Government the way that Canada has nor is he afraid to sue the American Government if he needs to do so to ensure that the border operates properly.

Thanks to US Customs we now know that there is no capacity issue at the border. If the border fight continues, then we know the real reason why. It is all personal and it is all part of a 50 year old Canadian Government policy that certain people just cannot give up no matter what the consequences are to the economy of our country!