Anything but peace at the Peace Bridge
By admin admin | Sep. 18, 2014Art by Amber Sliter The Peace Bridge used to live up to its name. Now, those long-lost days of tranquility and friendship must seem a distant memory to authorities on both sides of the Niagara. With all the political turmoil and violent disputes plaguing the globe, and with needs statewide for reform to New York?s prisons and educational systems, this dispute with Canadian officials must be resolved before ?Canadian diplomatic crisis? is added to the United States? ever-growing list of concerns. More than $150 million is currently devoted to multiple improvement projects at the bridge and the nearby plaza, as a series of infrastructure developments aimed at reducing traffic congestion by increasing queuing space, adding more truck lanes and widening approach ramps broke ground last month. Despite this seemingly positive development, Canadian hackles are raised over the deceptive behavior by Governor Andrew Cuomo and program manager Maria Lehman, who attempted to avoid publicizing details of construction projects until after the deadline for legal objections. This sneaky political maneuvering will only exacerbate the ongoing legal dispute between the two contingents of the Peace Bridge Authority. The litany of complaints expressed by both sides and documented in legal papers accumulated over two years of disagreement range from claims of sexual harassment, improper hiring and firing and defamation. Clearly, tensions are high between the two countries? authorities.
