The mayor of Hamilton understands why his city’s Canadian Football League team is working on a plan to move to Burlington. But Mayor Bob Bratina suggests Hamilton could still salvage a plan to build a new stadium in its city limits.
“The ball is still in Hamilton’s court, if you will, because … Toronto 2015 is waiting for us to tell them something on February 1st and today is only December 28th,” Bratina told a Hamilton radio station on Tuesday.
Last week Hamilton council voted 9-6 not to examine a site at Confederation Park on the shores of Lake Ontario. “Two votes need to change and then its 8-7, but what we’re losing desperately here is time,” said Bratina. The mayor of Hamilton says he doesn't blame the city's CFL team for looking at a possible move to nearby Burlington.“Right now I’m in my office at City Hall messaging councillors just to update them on exactly what is before us,” Bratina said.
Bratina thinks some members of council never took the threat to leave by Ticats owner Bob Young seriously.
“The Tiger-Cats have been quite straight up with me and I suppose anyone who wanted to listen to them seriously,” Bratina said. “There have been accusations of bluffs … but that’s not how Bob Young works, I know that, so I think this is a straightforward business situation for them.”
A move by the Ticats to Burlington is actually not a terrible outcome, according to Bratina.
“There’s an emotional thing, having grown up in the east end where we sort of thought we owned the Tiger-Cats and that hurts to think of the team moving across a boundary into another jurisdiction, but … this is not the Brooklyn Dodgers moving to Los Angeles.”
“The Tiger-Cats have been quite straight up with me and I suppose anyone who wanted to listen to them seriously,” Bratina said. “There have been accusations of bluffs … but that’s not how Bob Young works, I know that, so I think this is a straightforward business situation for them.”
A move by the Ticats to Burlington is actually not a terrible outcome, according to Bratina.
“There’s an emotional thing, having grown up in the east end where we sort of thought we owned the Tiger-Cats and that hurts to think of the team moving across a boundary into another jurisdiction, but … this is not the Brooklyn Dodgers moving to Los Angeles.”
Burlington is located about 20 kilometres from Hamilton.
“It’s just as easy for me to go from my house to Aldershot as it is to go from my house to Confederation Park and maybe even Ivor Wynne.
Hamilton councillors have until Feb, 1st to notify the 2015 Pan Am organizing committee about their stadium plans.
“It’s just as easy for me to go from my house to Aldershot as it is to go from my house to Confederation Park and maybe even Ivor Wynne.
Hamilton councillors have until Feb, 1st to notify the 2015 Pan Am organizing committee about their stadium plans.
Ian Troop, Pan Am organizing committee CEO, says Burlington officials need to have their plan together by Feb, 1st as well,
and he says Burlington's stadium proposal would have to meet the same criteria used for Hamilton.
Troop says Mississauga, Brampton and Markham have also shown interest in building a stadium, and that Oshawa has bowed out.
BOW OUT HAMILTON SAVE US THE HUMILITY AND DEBT
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