Raise the Hammer

@ say what

Your theory is that Mr. Mitchell assumed that the stadium would be built somewhere other than the west harbour lands when he did not express any opposition to the west harbour stadium site to Hamilton city council on February 23, 2009 even though council was voting to designate the west harbour as the preferred stadium site that same day? On your theory, why didn’t Mr. Mitchell publicly share his assumption with Hamilton city council at the Committee of the Whole meetings on February 23, 2009 and February 18, 2010? Why didn't he tell council that the Tiger-Cats would never play at the west harbour? Or that the Tiger-Cats would require the removal of the track after the Pan Am Games? Or that the Tiger-Cats required construction of a massive parking lot with all revenues controlled by the team? The Tiger-Cat organization did not give Hamilton city council the chance to take these "assumptions" into account when they voted to participate in the Pan Am Games in 2009 and 2010. It sure would have saved this city a great deal of time, trouble, money, and both national and international embarrassment had the Tiger-Cat organization been more forthcoming to city council early on about its intentions.

@ serendipity

The previously linked Minutes of the Hamilton city council on February 23, 2009 are facts on the public record. Mr. Mitchell did not oppose the proposed west harbour stadium site during his presentation to Hamilton city council that day. City council voted that same day to spend $60 Million on a Pan Am stadium and velodrome with the west harbour as the preferred site should Toronto go on win the 2015 Pan Am Games bid. The facts are straight. For you to suggest otherwise is pure spin.

Anyway, you indicated in your post that you are a north end resident. What would you like to see happen to the west harbour brownfield lands? Where will the money come from to pay for your vision for the west harbour brownfield lands if the Future Fund monies and Pan Am monies "set sail" for Ivor Wynne Stadium? How long are you prepared to wait for the west harbour brownfield lands to be remediated and redeveloped? Ten years? Twenty years? Thirty years?

My hope is that a made-in-Hamilton Pan Am stadium and velodrome solution can be found within the next week that maximizes the benefits for both the west harbour brownfield lands and the Ivor Wynne Stadium precinct. However, it is difficult right now to see where the money will come from to rejuvenate both of these areas within the next ten to twenty years.

Comment edited by RenaissanceWatcher on 2011-01-18 21:35:13