Carmen’s throws hat into the ring

The bid to operate one or more of the City of Hamilton’s entertainment facilities is boiling down to four proposals.

And the biggest surprise of the day comes from local bidder “Carmen’s.”

Carmen’s is only bidding on the Hamilton Convention Centre.

They’ve offered a $1 million performance bond, meaning they’d cut the city’s subsidy costs for the convention centre by $1 million immediately.

The group is also promising to build a $150 million hotel in Hamilton with 40 storeys and 440 rooms.

Carmen’s plans to eliminate all city subsidies by 2017.

There are three other companies in the running to operate Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Place and the Convention Centre.

The city says it hopes to reach a decision by January of next year.