Penalties raise stadium deal concerns

(Updated)

Delays in construction raise questions regarding the progress of Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.

Just last night, it was announced that the city and the Tiger-Cats have agreed to a 20-year lease. In it, there is a clause that would allow the Ticats to claim up to a million dollars if they miss a game because the stadium isn’t complete.

The city reached a leasing agreement in a 9-7 vote Wednesday night: quite far from unanimous.  And one of the issues was the million-dollar claim that the team can make to the city.

As construction continued Thursday at Tim Hortons Field, it has been documented that they are behind schedule due to the unseasonable cold this winter among other things.

The Ticats are set to play their first game at the new stadium on July 26th, and another one just five days later. If the stadium is late they could make a claim to the city of up to a million dollars for lost revenue, but as Mayor Bob Bratina told CHCH News, the city would not be on the hook. “If the Tiger-Cats have to reschedule a game because the stadium is not ready, obviously there would be a cost to them. They will pass that cost along to the city who will them bring it to Infrastructure Ontario. They will likely goafter the construction company for failure to deliver on time Should no compensation be offered, for whatever reason, then the Tiger-Cats will be out that money.”

On the other hand, the construction company who is building Tim Horton’s Field, Ontario Sports Solutions, has a huge stake in delivering on time. They would like more projects like this and if the stadium is not ready, for whatever reason, it wouldn’t look good.  So they are working around the clock to make sure everything is ready for July.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the city would pay the Ticats $1 million for each game missed. This has been corrected and clarified.