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The Ambassador Bridge which connects Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan is the busiest border crossing in North America.GEOFF ROBINS/The Globe and Mail

In the battle of the bridge, federal Transport Minister John Baird is playing the terrorism card.

Plans by Michigan billionaire Manuel (Matty) Moroun to build a new span next to his Ambassador Bridge would make the continent's busiest commercial crossing a juicy target for terrorists who could block billions of dollars in Canada-U.S. trade for months, Mr. Baird says.

Mr. Moroun, 82, wants to build a new Detroit-Windsor span only 30 metres west of the Ambassador Bridge, but Ottawa is supporting a rival proposal for a new government-backed crossing three kilometres down the Detroit River.

Mr. Baird said if Mr. Moroun succeeds in adding a new span so close to his privately owned Ambassador Bridge, police will face a major security threat. "If those bridges ever went down, the Ontario and Michigan economies within a matter of days would be on their knees," the minister said in an interview Monday.

He made the comments after delivering a warning during a luncheon speech to the Detroit Economic Club, saying Canada must remain vigilant against possible terrorist attacks along the strategic Detroit-Windsor corridor.

The Ambassador Bridge has become a choke point, with persistent traffic jams delaying the delivery of auto parts to and from assembly plants in Ontario and Michigan, Mr. Baird said.

The best way to ease the trucking bottlenecks is for the governments of Canada, the United States, Ontario and Michigan to construct their own bridge at a separate location, he said, holding out the promise of a publicly operated bridge creating 30,000 construction and spinoff jobs in a region hit hard by the recession.

He said he hopes Ottawa's recent offer to lend up to $550-million (U.S.) to Michigan will jump start construction of the government-backed bridge.

"The stars are aligned," Mr. Baird said. "Instead of just hoping for the best for the future of our economy, we're building a brighter future. Twinning the existing bridge would make matters demonstrably worse."

But Mr. Moroun's son, Matthew, who is vice-chairman of a family holding company overseeing the Ambassador Bridge, said Mr. Baird is overstating the terrorist threat.

Matthew Moroun said during a conference call from Detroit that he found Mr. Baird's warning about potential terrorism to be irresponsible. "If the minister is that concerned about terrorism, you would think there would be at least one person, one mounted police officer, one police officer of any kind on the Canadian side of the [Ambassador Bridge]protecting it."

A government-backed bridge project could cost taxpayers $5.3-billion, including connecting roads and other infrastructure such as inspection plazas, while the Ambassador Bridge vows to use private financing for its own $1-billion twinned bridge, Mr. Moroun said.

The war of words intensified Monday as Patrick Moran, corporate counsel for the Moroun family's transport holdings, said Peter Van Loan, Canada's International Trade Minister, supported the Moroun family's position while he served as a lawyer representing the Ambassador Bridge.

Before being elected in the York-Simcoe riding in 2004, Mr. Van Loan did some legal work for Canadian Transit Co., a holding company that owns the Canadian half of the Ambassador Bridge. Mr. Van Loan, while serving as a lawyer for Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, told the Ontario government that "twinning the Ambassador Bridge was the only resolution to border congestion," a view that contradicts Mr. Baird's pro-government stance, Mr. Moran said.

Mr. Moran released a three-page letter written in February, 2001, by Mr. Van Loan to the Ontario Transport Ministry - a letter that touts the Ambassador Bridge's "critical function."

Mr. Van Loan couldn't be reached for comment Monday, but Mr. Baird played down Mr. Moran's criticisms. "Peter Van Loan was paid to represent a client. His law firm was paid money by Matty Moroun. Everyone is entitled to representation," Mr. Baird said.

In any event, Mr. Van Loan "has recused himself on this issue" at the cabinet table, said Mr. Baird, who is in charge of the Detroit-Windsor file.

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