The decision to arm Canada Customs staff on Cornwall Island has ultimately cost Canadian taxpayers $894,000.
The federal government topped up the Federal Bridge Corp.'s books last March for loss of revenue and increased operating costs.
"We did apply to the government for emergency funding, to break even for (2009-10)," said Rik Saaltink, GM of the Seaway International Bridge Corporation, a Federal Bridge Corp. subsidiary.
According to the Federal Bridge's annual report, toll rev-e nu e dropped at the Seaway bridge to $2.5 million from $4.2 million in 2008-09.
"It's not just for what we lost for toll revenue," Saaltink said.
"It was for extra costs we had," he said, of the complete, interim relocation of the toll booths at the bridge's northern entrance on Brookdale Avenue.
That bill was $592,000.
The Seaway bridge posted a $954,000 surplus in 2008-09.
Saaltink said 18 booth workers and maintenance personnel were laid off during the period.
The Seaway bridge was ordered closed for about six weeks during the summer of 2009. The toll booths were shut for nine weeks.
Motorized traffic was almost non-existent due to the vacated Canada Border Services Agency port of entry, which began May 31, 2009. Customs personnel left their posts due to safety concerns they expressed as a result of the Mohawks' opposition to the arming of Customs border guards.
The customs port of entry was also eventually moved to Brookdale Avenue to reopen the border in July 2009.
Local MP Guy Lauzon said he was unaware of the payout, but maintained that it was the cost of backing up federal regulations regarding the arming of border guards.
"For safety's sake, it's the way to go," Lauzon said.
"Could you imagine, if Cornwall was the only crossing which didn't have armed border guard?"
Nonetheless, criminal activity near the port-of-entry remains a problem.
Bridge traffic levels have not rebounded adequately, stated the annual report.
"Since (the closure) traffic flow has significantly decreased resulting in a large decline in revenues so that the long-term self-suffiency of the crossing is in doubt," said the report.
"While the dispute is still not resolved, and traffic levels remain depressed, (Seaway Bridge) has maintained an effective traffic flow since the crossing re-opened."