Yahoo Sports 
Ticats confirm they’ll play at least one more game at McMaster Aug. 16: will they make it to Tim Hortons Field for the Labour Day Classic?
The Tiger-Cats' return to playing regular-season games in Hamilton hasn't been a triumphant one so far. After 637 days away during the teardown of Ivor Wynne Stadium and the construction of Tim Hortons Field, construction issues meant the team had to move its first two home games to McMaster University's Ron Joyce Stadium and play in front of just 6,500 fans. They won't be able to go to their actual home just yet, either; the Ticats announced Friday that their next home game on Aug. 16 will again be at McMaster, but they're planning to open Tim Hortons Field on Labour Day:
Earlier today, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats received the following statement from the City of Hamilton regarding construction progress at Tim Hortons Field:
“After a meeting yesterday that was attended by all parties relevant to the construction of Tim Hortons Field, and with further detail provided today, the building consortium of ONSS has presented a plan to have the stadium ready for the Labour Day Classic. We have seen very significant progress in the last month and look forward to continuing to work with ONSS to ensure the opening of Tim Hortons Field for that important event. After playing their August 16th game at McMaster’s Ron Joyce Stadium, we will work with the Tiger-Cats and all parties to transition the City of Hamilton and the team into the stadium.”
Tiger-Cats President and Chief Operating Officer Glenn Gibson remarked, “We were very pleased to hear ONSS has a plan in place that will see Tim Hortons Field open for the Labour Day Classic. Kicking off the first game at our brand-new, world-class stadium on Labour Day will truly be a memorable day in Hamilton sports history.”
Fans that have previously purchased tickets to the August 16 game will be issued a credit or refund for the full value of each game. Season seat holders will be provided with ticket details later this afternoon.
Playing another game at Ron Joyce Stadium (side note; it's hilarious to see a game moved from Tim Hortons Field to Ron Joyce Stadium, as Joyce co-founded the chain and helped make it a national presence) presents significant challenges for the team. On the field, having just over a quarter of their regular fans makes it much harder to get on opposing offences, and off the field, there's a substantial financial hit from only being able to sell 6,500 tickets (and having to refund the rest). Yes, the builder is expected to pay the Ticats $1 million or more for each missed game, but that may not cover all the team's losses, and getting that money doesn't seem like a sure thing. Thus, the team would probably rather play at even a partly-done Tim Hortons Field (which was the initial plan); the announcement that the Aug. 16 game will be at McMaster suggests that there's still a lot of work to do on the new stadium. While the team's statement Friday says it will be ready for Labour Day, a Thursday report from Hamilton's CHCH TV indicates that might not be the case:
NDP MPP Paul Miller: “They’re still cutting reinforcing rod. They are doing that right in front of us that’s all the noise. My understanding is that a lot of the plumbing is not done the change rooms, that takes weeks of work and the electrical is huge the electronics for the scoreboard. Well the handrails it’s iron working and welding and that takes time. Usually the handrails are pre-fab they bring them in sections. I can’t give you a time limit on that because they haven’t even started them on the east stand.”
Miller should know. Before venturing into politics he worked in the trades as an industrial mechanic, welder and iron worker. And that’s why he says he is so puzzled about the reasons being given for the delay especially the weather.
Paul Miller: “Well this is Canada. We ran many steel plants for many decades and kept the machines going and plants running and they do have things called propane heaters they could have brought in to pre and post heat things they were working on whether it’s electrical or plumbing.
As of today the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are still advertising tickets for an August 16th game to be played at Tim Hortons Field. But Miller has doubts that can happen: “It’s not ready. It’s not going to be ready for August 16th and most likely I can’t say for sure it won’t be ready for Labour Day.”
We spoke with a representative from the company that is building the stadium. Ontario Sports Solutions said they are doing everything possible to meet their deadline obligations.
But that’s not what workers on the ground told me. One who did not want to go on camera said the site pretty much shuts down at five because the builder doesn’t want to pay overtime. He also said he doubts very much the field will be ready for the Labour Day Classic.
That's remarkable if work's shutting down at five, as OSS has publicly said they're doing double-shifts and working six days a week. Of course, the field is in a residential neighbourhood, so there may be noise restrictions at issue here rather than the costs of overtime, but that still doesn't seem positive. It's the chances of the stadium not being ready for Labour Day that are really problematic, though. The Labour Day Classic between the Ticats and Argos is one of the CFL's most famed games (even if it hasn't always been played in recent years), and it's a huge draw and money-maker for the team. If that can be their opener in the new stadium as well, it will really be a game to remember, but if that game also has to be moved, that will truly be a blow for the Ticats.
