On July 24, 2026, government representatives, project partners, community members and the Howe family came together to celebrate a defining moment for the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
Held at the Canadian Port of Entry, the inauguration celebrated the completion of a transformational new international crossing connecting Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan and the people and partnerships that helped make it possible.
The event began with an Indigenous ceremony recognizing the First Nations communities and the land on which the Gordie Howe International Bridge sits. The ceremony included drumming by Walpole Island First Nation members and a blessing from Chief Nikki van Oirschot, Caldwell First Nation.
Representatives from the Government of Canada, Government of Ontario, the City of Windsor, Bridging North America and the Ambassador of Canada to the United States reflected on the significance of the new crossing and what it meant for communities and economies on both sides of the border. Murray Howe, son of Gordie Howe, also shared a personal perspective on his father’s legacy and the significance of his name becoming a part of a new connection between Canada and the United States.
The celebration culminated with an official ribbon cutting, marking the completion of an extraordinary undertaking and setting the stage for the bridge to open to traffic just three days later.
In a fitting nod to the bridge’s namesake, the celebration also included former American Hockey League and National Hockey League players including Mark Howe, junior hockey league players, bridge employees’ kids, guests and government representatives engaging in friendly game of shinny hockey.
Watch the inauguration event and hear the full remarks from the speakers in the video below.
