December 3, 2009 -- Marking the change in governance of the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge from the Joint International Bridge Authority (JIBA) to the newly formed Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority (SSMBA), the board of directors met Thursday in St. Ignace, Mich.
The meeting of the SSMBA board is the latest event implementing provisions of a Sept. 1, 2009 revision to the Sept. 1, 2000, Intergovernmental Agreement, by which the international crossing is jointly operated by the Michigan Department of Transportation and the St. Mary's River Bridge Company (SMRBC) as infrastructure owners representing Michigan and Canada. The final JIBA meeting was Aug. 13.
"This meeting of the new SSMBA Board of Directors and the revised Intergovernmental Agreement are an affirmation of the continued partnership between Michigan and Canada to jointly provide for the most efficient operation of this vital economic link between Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario," said Phil Becker, general manager of the International Bridge Administration (IBA), which manages bridge operations under the supervision of SSMBA.
The SSMBA board consists of eight members, four Michigan members appointed by the governor and four Canadian members appointed by SMRBC. Canadian members are Helen Gillespie, James McIntyre, and Rick Talvitie from Sault Ste. Marie, and Glenn Hewus from Ottawa. Michigan members are Janis M. Burgess from Menominee, Richard Le Blanc from Brimley, Bill Sutter from Sault Ste. Marie and a soon to be appointed fourth member.
Recently, SMRBC (owner of the Canadian portion of the bridge) became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Federal Bridge Corporation Limited (FBCL) in Ottawa. FBCL is a Canadian Crown corporation that has ownership responsibilities of both the Thousand Islands Bridge connecting Collins Landing, N.Y., to Ivy Lea, Ontario, and the Seaway International Bridge connecting Massena, N.Y., to Cornwall, Ontario. FBCL also is responsible for major Montreal bridges, including the Jacques Cartier, Mercier, and Champlain bridges.
The SSMBA board heard a report from Micheline Dube, President and Chief Executive Officer of FBCL, that the yearlong pursuit of federal funding for the $50 million Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) plaza redevelopment project was successful with the Sept. 2 visit to Sault, Ontario, by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and John Baird, Minister of Transport, Communities and Infrastructure. During the visit, Prime Minister Harper announced a $44.112 million grant to SMRBC from the Federal Gateway and Border Crossing Fund for the project.
"This is fantastic news for the twin Saults, Ontario and Michigan, and our two countries," said Dube;. "This project will bring jobs and provide short-term economic relief, and in the long-term it will position the Sault to achieve its full potential as a major commercial crossing."
In other board action, SSMBA elected Bill Sutter as the 2010 chair and Helen Gillespie as the vice chair. The SSMBA Board of Directors meets quarterly with the next meeting scheduled for Feb. 25, 2010, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. All SSMBA meetings are open to the public and are announced in advance.
Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge: Bridging Our Past, Connecting Our Future
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