Documents reveal Ambassador Bridge owner's private meeting with Ottawa ahead of Gordie Howe opening

The American owner of the Ambassador Bridge, Matthew Moroun, sought a meeting with senior Canadian government officials about the new Gordie Howe International Bridge three and a half months before the rival crossing opened — but what was discussed at that meeting remains largely a secret.

CBC News learned of the April 7 meeting through federal briefing notes obtained under the Access to Information Act. The 17-page release package is available for public view at the bottom of this story.

According to the documents, Moroun, who's based in Michigan, was accompanied by Kevin Kalczynski, a senior lawyer with the family's companies, and Brennan Lee, a senior financial executive and Moroun's son-in-law.

On the Canadian side were Housing Infrastructure and Communities Canada deputy minister Paul Halucha, assistant deputy minister Marco Presutti and Jesse Tracey, a senior federal government lawyer.

The records show Moroun requested the meeting with Canadian officials, but portions of the agenda, as well as the government's account and analysis of the meeting, were redacted.

CBC News contacted the Ambassador Bridge seeking Moroun's account of the meeting and what he wanted from Canadian officials, but did not receive a response before publication.

The stakes were enormous. Moroun had a lot on the line financially — the new bridge was expected to take almost half the Ambassador Bridge's traffic, according to U.S. government estimates .

By itself, the Ambassador Bridge is a vital link between both countries, and in 2021 it handled more than $140 billion in merchandise trade — about $390 million a day and 26 per cent of Canada's exports by road, according to Transport Canada.

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The Canadian government had its own interests going into the meeting. Officials were trying to get the $6.4 billion Gordie Howe bridge open under intense political pressure from the White House to stop .

Briefing materials prepared for Halucha describe his role in the meeting with Moroun this way:

"Note you are here to listen and look forward to hearing Mr. Moroun's perspective and better understand his views on corridor operations as the new bridge prepares to come into service, as well as views he may have on resolution of outstanding issues."

Much of the material detailing those issues and portions of the government's subsequent account of the meeting are redacted.