Raise the Hammer

@Avenger

The Tiger Cats put up the GRAND TOTAL of $10 million dollars for the CP location PAID OVER TEN YEARS AND BORROWED FROM AN ONTARIO INFRASTRUCTURE FUND...... WHICH IS US. So we actually pay his share too!

Any other reported sums that were bandied about like the $74 million dollars over 15 years were on examination determined to be operating costs that Mr Young would have had to pay no matter where the team played.

The city is in the position of building its projects where it's elected officials after years of planning chooses to build them. Perenial corporate welfare recipient professional sports teams are in no position to dictate to the city where it will spend what will amount to $60 million dollars of taxpayer money. And no he doesn't have to play there. He just won't be getting any of our money to build his play land with its "driveway to driveway" experience.

THIS IS A PUBLIC PROJECT NOT A PRIVATE ONE.

And part of the legacy of the games, the intended use of the Future Fund, is to provide high performance sports infrastructure and if possible help achieve goals in city building. It can be easy to miss these things when you jump into a debate at the last minute so I can excuse that. The stadium project WAS NEVER intended to be purpose built for the Tiger Cats. They were going to be the lucky recipient of a brand new facility because HOSTCO selected Hamilton as the site for athletics and track and field.

Who is a scalable stadium inadequate for? The Tiger Cats? Who cares? It is evident now that they have been talking out of both sides of their mouth since this drama began. As for being unnecessary says who? Andrew Dreschel? Bob Brattina? Hardly urban planning experts either one. Ask Bob tomorrow he may have changed his mind again. Ron Joyce stadium is privately owned and operated by McMaster University. They are under no obligation to provide time and use of that facility to anyone. We are not talking about a bunch of temporary bleachers here. Rather a modern, expandable facility with multiple uses.

What rock have you been hiding under? Ian Troop twice this past week both in an interview with RTH and with that twit Bill Kelly at CHML said if Hamilton wants a smaller scalable stadium at WH its a done deal. Again, try to keep up and stay current. You're making blanket statements about peoples "bases" and intentions and you have no clue or idea of what or who you are talking about.

I have been until recent years a long time season ticket holder of the Tiger Cats. I have both on this site and others applauded many of the things that Mr Young has tried to do with his team.

I am a business owner and avowed capitalist. I have no problem with him wanting to make money with this enterprise. ( I may question his intelligence and business acumen in thinking he was ever going to make money owning a CFL team.) but I have no problem with him trying.

What I have a problem with is a money losing private business, who has been a corporate welfare recipient courtesy of the taxpayers of this city for decades trying to bully, threaten, extort, misrepresent facts, lie, manipulate the democratic process to essentially abscond with $60 million dollars of this community's money to do so.

Lets remember. Had Toronto 2015 not won the Pan Am bid. We would not be having this conversation. What was Mr Young intending to do then? Build a new stadium where? With whose money? He wouldn't be going anywhere, he would still be playing at Ivor Wynne Stadium in 2015 or have sold the team.

He has nowhere to go now. Aldershot is not going to happen. Ottawa is getting its own team not a relocated Tiger Cat team. (The league is not about to give up expansion money to placate Bob Young). Quebec City is more interested in building a new hockey arena because if they do they know they are getting an NHL team back. The Feds aren't going to be contributing ANY gov't money for a foot ball stadium as well as a hockey arena. Moncton? not anytime soon and same thing, no stadium.

So once again. I CALL BULLSHIT. The Tiger Cats never did and do not now have anywhere to go. You think the city is trying to screw them? Give your head a shake. Hmmm lets see. I'm Bob Young. I pay less than the cost of a Ford Fusion to rent Ivor Wynne each year. I get to keep the proceeds from the concessions and beer and alcohol sales, the city pays $1.3 million to operate a stadium it wouldn't have to if my team didn't play there. AND SOMEHOW THE TIGER CATS ARE GETTING SCREWED?

Nice try.

Comment edited by Shempatolla on 2011-01-09 23:32:30