Photos: Tim Hortons Field doesn’t look near ready

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats may be quite optimistic about the chances of opening Tim Hortons Field on Labour Day, but reports from the site suggest that may be a difficult challenge. Hamilton-based journalist Terry Ott (who's been leading the way on the concussion lawsuits being filed against the CFL) went to the site to take photos of the construction Monday, and his shots (which he sent to 55-Yard Line) illustrate just how much work still remains a week before the field's expected to host a CFL game. Here's a view from the north end zone:

And the south end zone:

How about those stands? Here's a look at the west grandstand. Keep in mind that the permit applies for the bottom half of this to be open in a week:

And another view:

Here's a third shot of the west grandstand:

From the side:

And a closer look at the structural pillars:

The railings are still being worked on, too:

These back railings might be particularly problematic:

The east stands look a little better, which you'd expect for stand-alone bleachers. However, there's still a lot of work to be done there too:

For example, city director of building services Ed VanderWindt told CBC Hamilton Monday that handrails, sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems aren't yet finished. Ott said the railings on the back of the east stands aren't finished, and that the four construction workers he spoke with were all pessimistic the stadium would be ready. There are reportedly still issues with the concessions, the washrooms and the electrical and heating systems, too. This can't be blamed on the city inspectors, who are already saying they're willing to be there every day ahead of Labour Day inspecting things as they're finished; that's highly irregular, but even it may not be enough. If the Tiger-Cats do manage to play at Tim Hortons Field Monday, it's only going to be thanks to a Herculean building effort in the final days. These photos certainly don't provide an image of a stadium that's ready for use.