No more money for Hamilton stadium, Ottawa says
By John Kernaghan
http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...um-ottawa-says
The sharp backlash against the possibility of up to $180 million in federal money for a Quebec City hockey rink to host a National Hockey League team is behind the federal sports minister rejecting more money for a Pan Am stadium as home to the Tiger-Cats.
That’s the view of a source close to Pan Am stadium negotiations.
“It would just make the Quebec situation worse,” the source said.
In a media report yesterday, Gary Lunn, Minister of State for Sports, said Ottawa would not provide more money to boost Hamilton’s $102-million, 15,000-seat stadium.
That followed Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s statement that homes for pro sports team should be a private-sector endeavour.
Lunn did suggest in media reports that the Pan Am Games host corporation could redistribute the $500 million Ottawa has pledged to the 2015 Games to allow more for Hamilton’s proposed stadium.
But Hostco already faces more costs with track and field, the Games premier event, moved from Hamilton to York University, which will need an expanded stadium.
Lunn said in reports that the onus was on the private sector in Hamilton to come up with a 25,000-seat stadium for the Tiger-Cats.
Threaded Mode