Raise the Hammer

If there should ever be an inquiry into any "government dealings"...I think this should be it. How the Province and Federal governments can take the side of the city (by leaving the choice to municipal government) for so long and then suddenly pull the rug out from beneath them is beyond me.

Who got to who? Who greased the wheels? Since when does a private interest dictate where a public building is built?

The "legacy" of this stadium isn't that it will be the home to a private business...it is that it will be something that the citizens of Hamilton can enjoy and athletes from the area can utilize.

If the Provincial and Federal governments are on-board with subsidizing private businesses (like the Tiger-Cats) and catering to their demands....where were they when Balsillie was making his attempt to bring the NHL to Hamilton? Where are they now in that regard? I'm sure there is an Owner out there that the Province and Feds could lure to Hamilton by offering up millions of dollars to build a new arena for them.

Go figure....we pay for an NHL arena on our own...and the NHL balks on their promise. We want to put a CFL stadium where we want it...and the Province and Feds say they will only pay for what the sports team wants. Isn't that just a kick in the pills?

If nothing else....I hope the City of Hamilton bills the Provincial and Federal governments for every last dime the city spent to acquire land and conduct viability studies of all sites. The City of Hamilton should be completely reimbursed for anything they spent on this endeavour since at the 11th hour the Province and Feds decided to dictate the decision.

And in 10 years when everyone realizes a stadium overlooking an off-ramp was a colossal mistake...I hope the Province and Feds are there to cough up the dough to build yet another stadium after the Cats realize their "regional" plan is an enormous failure and people hate paying $30 to park just to wait in line to get on the highway after the game.

This entire thing makes me want to bang my head against the wall. At least let it play out...let the vote occur....then if the Tiger-Cats (meaning Bob Young) come out and say 'The moment Ivor Wynne is closed we are leaving, no question about it...we're gone.' before stepping in. Had the vote occurred and the West Harbour was picked....for all we know Bobby and the Cats would have sat down and negotiated a nice deal to play there.....letting the threats eventually be forgotten. Now we will never know.

I really don't think anybody...including the people that guzzled the Mitchell kool-aid really believed the Tiger-Cats would move. But...the government seemed to.....

I never really cared where this stadium was built. I preferred the West Harbour (for obvious reasons) but felt as long as a stadium is constructed within Hamilton it is a good thing. The higher governments sticking their nose in it sullied the whole process and made me rather upset. Before I would have been fine with an East Mountain stadium....not happy but fine....now I'm ticked. Heck...I would have been ticked if they stepped in and said they would only provide funding for a West Harbour stadium. Just stay out of it and let the process run it's course!

So....now, does Hamilton still pay what they initially planned on paying? Do the Cats live up to their earlier commitments now that they seem to be dictating things?