From what i have heard. It’s over. The CFL dropped the ball, but mostly it was the Argo owner, who held on to his asking price of 25 million, way to long. MLSE got fed up and now they are moving on without the Argos. From what i heard the commisioner has been phoning MLSE since Last FRi and they won’t even return his calls now. This may have cost us the Argos
The notion of BMO Field as the future home of the Toronto Argonauts has been shelved as Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment prepares to invest in refurbishing the facility in time for next summer’s Pan-Am Games without a retrofit for Canadian football.
In April, Toronto city council approved a plan to invest $10 million in a $120 million expansion, contingent on the provincial and federal governments kicking in $10 million each as well. That plan included expanding the stadium to accommodate CFL football, with the Argos hoping to move in as soon as next season.
That stadium deal was put together at the same time that Argo owner David Braley was negotiating to sell the Argos to either MLSE or its largest, individual shareholder, Larry Tanenbaum.
However, with the provincial and federal governments yet to sign onto the deal, and time running out, MLSE is now focused on upgrading and repairing the facility under its current configurations, with an emphasis on getting it ready for next summer’s Pan Am Games when it will host the Rugby Sevens competition.
While the possibility of an Argo sale to Tanenbaum or MLSE is not dead, according to a source, it has gone from being a priority to something that would depend on another phase of stadium expansion being approved.
The Argos have been asked to vacate the Rogers Centre, their home since 1989 after the 2017 season so that the Toronto Blue Jays may consider installing natural grass into the facility.
MLSE will take a plan to city council next month to spend $80 million upgrading amenities in the stadium, asking for permission to spend the $10 million of city dollars that was granted for the larger project in April.