A day-long working group on the opportunities for autonomous vehicle research in this region is a positive start.
Hosted by the Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation earlier this month, the event drew key players from both sides of the border.
WEEDC CEO Stephen MacKenzie says the range of experts and stakeholders was significant.
"Key Canadian and US stakeholders and government officials from all orders of government. Federal, provincial, state and municipalities. There were folks from regional planning organizations representatives from the border authorities, we had auto and auto parts companies there and we had some subject matter experts."
He says the event showed there is a strong opportunity.
"This is an opportunity for the region economically, the bi-national region, and the fact that we got this international group together to start looking at ways we can cooperate, including the research, including the technology, including demonstration and trying to shape policy."
MacKenzie says the construction of at least one and possibly two new bridges locally has a lot of potential.
"It was definitely one of their key points. The realization there was an opportunity to build these new bridges not only incorporating the leading edge technology now for autonomous vehicles, but trying to predict what could come down in the future."
Mackenzie adds, the session reached a conclusion that this is an area worth exploring and there is a plan to hold future events about autonomous transportation and the border.