2015 Pan Am Committee Comes To Toronto Tomorrow

This article in the Hamilton Spectator today reports that representatives from the 2015 Pan Am Games Evaluation Committee will arrive in Toronto tomorrow for a two day visit to review the Toronto-Golden Horseshoe proposal. According to Canadian Olympics Committee CEO Chris Rudge, the role of the evaluation committee is to review the plans of each bidder and verify that each bid site is "capable of staging the Games" rather than to recommend which bidder should be awarded the Games.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/625867

My interest in the games is admittedly a selfish one and that is to insure that with signigicant
outside help,the city of Hamilton gets a stadium which is suitable for CFL football.

Its possible that I may enjoy gymnastics since my grand daughter has an intense interest
in this sport, but other than that; for me, its all about a new stadium that will provide a new
home for our Ticats and provide at least 25,000 seats, expandable to 40,000 - 50,000 seats
for a Grey Cup game.

I in no way wish to put down the Pan Am games, but I would be dishonest if I said I had more
than a passive interest in them.

With our infrastructure behaving as poorly as it is and in view of the dismal record of our city council,
I worry that they may opt to update IWS instead of building a new facility, lose the existing
opportunity of a new stadium and lose the games as well. Why? Because Hamilton has to spend millions
of dollars on infrastructure, a fact that is now more evident than ever with all the flooding resulting
from summer storms, particularly in Stoney Creek.

Hope I'm wrong, but our council scares the hell out of me.

I don't want the games because

  1. I don't want to pay for them thru my taxes
  2. They really aren't benificial to tourism beyond the 3 weeks they are held
  3. I hate the inconvenience and would be forced to leave the city
    4. I don't want a TRACK AND FIELD stadium for football

BTW your suggestion that upgrading IWS might be councils direction is sweet music to my ears. We don't need to waste money on a new stadium when we can upgrade for one tenth the cost. Make no mistake folks, no matter which level of government pays what porportion its still money out of my pocket. We'd only get a 20,000 seat stadium and still have to spend millions after the games or be left with a worthless white elephant

Finally Someone who Gets it. :thup: :rockin:

This article on the Hamilton Spectator website reports that the Pan Am Evaulation Committee was in Toronto today visiting the CN Tower and touring the West Don lands where the athletes' village would be constucted. They are scheduled to arrive in Hamilton by GO train tomorrow, tour McMaster University and, weather permitting, take a helicopter flight over the proposed harbourfront stadium site:

http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/626173