Thank you, Madam Chair.
The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority has previously appeared before this committee, and we find it a privilege to be here to speak about the Gordie Howe International Bridge project. We last appeared in November 2018. At that time I said it was a very exciting time for the bridge authority. It continues to be so, as we work through with our stakeholders to build the community benefits plan and to finalize the design and begin construction for the Gordie Howe International Bridge project.
As you are well aware, the WDBA is responsible for the delivery of this project, and managing the project agreement with our private sector partner, Bridging North America. It is a team of Canadian, American and international firms with both local experience and international experience in developing, implementing and delivering world-class transportation infrastructure.
Over the past few months, we have continued to work on essential preparatory activities. That includes utility relocations and other early works to ensure that the properties required for this large infrastructure project are ready and turned over to our partner to do the construction.
We've also undertaken to put robust project management and governance programs in place. That includes a framework that has technical working groups and oversight mechanisms, including decision-making bodies, with criteria to develop and guide them on their decisions. That goes along with other audit mechanisms to make sure that both we and Bridging North America meet the commitments of the project agreement and deliver on that project.
We continue to benchmark. We've benchmarked three different organizations, including the bridge in Montreal. We completed a benchmarking trip this week, as a matter of fact, at Metrolinx, to ensure that our staff understand the lessons learned from the different infrastructure projects around the country and the continent. We are also staffing up and recruiting the best in class to ensure that we meet our obligations and that BNA also meets its obligations.
Also, working with Bridging North America, we're consulting with the communities and stakeholders on both sides of the border to ensure that we have a comprehensive community benefits plan. Over the next few months, we'll announce the details of that plan.
We often refer to the Gordie Howe International Bridge project as a once-in-a-generation undertaking, and it literally is. The new bridge will transform the skyline. It will provide all Canadians with an efficient, seamless, redundant and integrated transportation corridor, so that you can move goods as a business from Montreal through the U.S. down to Florida with no stops. It will be an integrated project that will enhance jobs, both locally and for Canadians across the country.
The construction of the bridge is really four projects in one. It's the bridge itself, the ports of entry on both sides of the border, and then the extension out to the I-75 in the U.S. That will provide jobs not only for skilled workers—I think everybody understands there's a large opportunity for skilled workers—but what is probably not recognized are the jobs available for white-collar workers, the professionals who help develop the project, oversee the project and then once we get into operation, operate the bridge.
As I think everybody knows, Canada and the United States have one of the largest trading relationships in the world. The bridge project is essential to ensure that—