Actual news link:
[url=http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/4619361-cfl-city-of-hamilton-says-tim-hortons-field-not-ready-for-july-games/]http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/461 ... uly-games/[/url]Edit:
Same story at the Scratching Post:
Well, I know I won’t be going to Mac. :roll: I’ll wait for the finished product. 
Bob Young once again looks into the mirror and says, "Why did I buy this team?" 
First off.. I'd like to duly congratulate the realists/pessimists on this forum and in this thread..
Secondly.. The Tiger-Cats have a PR nightmare on their hands. Repeated assurances that the game would go on. Repeated assurances that people's expectations would be exceeded. I'm sure the appropriate legal language was used to avoid litigation.
As a life-long supporter and optimist surrounding the affairs of this club, I am pissed. I decided two months ago to fly in from New Brunswick for the week of the game. Luckily it wasn't only for this game but I would have considered rescheduling my travel plans if it weren't for the incessant assurances from the club that the game would be a go.
I understand the club will plead innocence and point to IO and the contractor as being at fault. That said, if the Tiger-Cats didn't have the information at the time to guarantee the opening game would go on, they should have made no such overtures. Alas, business isn't about serving the customer, its about making people part ways with their money most effectively; this at the expense of the truth.
The trust between club and this fan has been bruised.
Scott Mitchell will be on the fan 590 at 5pm
It's time for the team to come clean with the fans on "Plan B" once and for all.
[b]Ontario Sports Solutions, the consortium building the stadium, will pay the Tiger-Cats $1 million for each missed home game.
Ontario taxpayers are “not responsible for additional costs related to the completion of the project,? IO said in a Monday afternoon media release. Instead, Ontario Sports Solutions pays.
The agency is “disappointed that construction of the stadium will not be completed for the start of the football season,? IO said in the release.
“We are determined to make sure that the stadium is completed by Ontario Sports Solutions and that the public interest is protected.?
The stadium is more than 85-per cent complete, IO said.[/b]
read more here
[url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/stadium-won-t-be-ready-for-first-ticats-games-1.2699091]http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/ ... -1.2699091[/url]Some of that $1M will get eaten up by rent at Mac
I agree with all of this. Great post.
I’m glad we have him for an owner…at least he will stick around until the team/city gets it right! :thup: Perhaps we will have the season opener as the “Labour Day Classic”. We sure can’t blame him for this.
I sincerely hope the team comes out with their "plan b" very soon because this does not make me very happy.
joedavtav, I would be livid if I decided to do what you are doing. Yikes. This sucks for all of us, but you must be insanely pissed. I know I would be
YIKES!!!!! Hamilton taxpayers, get ready to write a cheque to Mr. Caretaker for $2,000,000.00 plus costs.
Sorry, failed to the the post above about $$$$
I'm confident that the stadium will be super and am glad to hear that at least they are coming clean as soon as they could I gather. I'm pissed at myself and others who believed we would be proved correct, one of the few times in my life I can say I wish I had of been wrong. But in the long run, it will all work out. I can appreciate how some feel let down who have payed up thus far.
Bob took a gamble on delaying to find a highway site as the surveys of Cat fans indicated in the majority that is what was wanted and the gamble backfired and now this predicament as many guessed. WH might also not have been ready but IWS would have been available in the interim. But that's all hindsight, and hindsight is easy. But life goes on, everyone including myself of course makes errors and on we go. :?
Now the beauty is, Hamilton is getting a new stadium! Let's not forget the positive here even if some people are going to be pissed!
Pretty misleading for them to use an older picture of the construction at the top of this story.
Makes me sick that some people are going to be grinning ear to ear about this. Seriously. How much of a loser can you be? Sitting around for a year on an internet forum making fun of everyone, and then laughing when they don't get to see their team live. We have some real pathetic posters on these boards. As far as blaming the Cats.. How can you? The stadium project is completely out of their hands. It's being built for the PanAM games, and they're just using it afterwards. Super annoying regardless.
Ticats Football we Fail on and off the field :thdn:
I agree with you that it was out of their hands.
The Cats messaging however was one of absolute confidence that the first game would go on as scheduled. It was out of their hands. They should have passed the truth along to those of us who paid for the games.
It's a sad day for Ti-Cats football....this followed by the Tier 2 seating fiasco, followed by the vicious stadium debate is going to seriously hamper and be a giant obstacle for the financial success of the Cats for several years to come. 
All's I can say is the next PR move for the Cats is to offer full refunds (if desired) for the games, and don't dare try to get away with a mere credit to your account.