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Ticats vow to open Tim Hortons Field on Labour Day, but Apollo 13 reference may backfire, and the game may wind up at the Rogers Centre

Andrew Bucholtz

The ongoing disastrousconstruction issues at Tim Hortons Field are threatening the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' plans to play there on Labour Day. Photos taken Monday suggest there's still a lot of work to do, and CBC Hamilton has reported that the city inspections for the occupancy permit, which the builders only applied for last Wednesday (and only for a partial permit), are proceeding even slower than initially expected:

There are key elements of the new Tim Hortons Field stadium that are still in the way of it getting an occupancy permit, city building officials say. And it could be the end of the week before there’s a verdict on whether it’ll be ready for the Labour Day Classic. ...

Stadium builders applied for an occupancy permit last Tuesday, a process that usually takes five business days, said Ed VanderWindt, the city’s director of building services.

But it’s taking longer than that because there are key safety elements, such as handrails, sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems, that aren’t finished. Building officials are on site every day, approving elements as they’re completed, trying to go as fast as possible, he said.

“We’re doing all we can to expedite whatever approvals are required,” VanderWindt said.

Some elements still require several steps to complete. For example, a sprinkler system is required for an occupancy permit, but an engineer has to verify the system before city inspectors sign off on it, he said. And the sprinkler system isn't finished yet.

However, that's in sharp contrast to the team's plans. At a major announcement Monday, which was mostly about Keith Urban being set to play the first concert at the new stadium on Sept. 27, owner/caretaker Bob Young said the team is pressing ahead with plans to play in the new stadium on Labour Day:

"To quote the movie 'Apollo 13,' failure is not an option. We are determined to play Labour Day at Tim Hortons Field at 1 o'clock," Young said at a news conference Monday. ...

"You can be sure that we have had backup plans to our backup plans for many months now," Young said.

"I have no interest in discussing backup plans," he added. "Because we are committed to — using Apollo 13 — landing our spaceship at centre field at 1 o'clock on Sept. 1. We are determined. Everyone involved is determined to work the hours necessary, and spend the money necessary to get the full list (of building projects) completed by Monday morning."

Young said the Ticats would hold their first practice at Tim Hortons Field on Wednesday.

Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina said he is also confident the stadium will be ready to host the Argos in the CFL's traditional Labour Day battle.

"We haven't been told anything that would suggest to us that we better start thinking another way," Bratina said.

While the team and the mayor may be optimistic, those who have visited the site aren't. Photos from the site Monday indicate there's still a ton of work to do to even make it partially usable. Moreover, CHCH TV reported Monday that the CFL is exploring the idea of moving the game to the Rogers Centre in Toronto; that building won't be available on Labour Day thanks to the Blue Jays playing the day before, but it could potentially be available on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 2, the date that's apparently being considered. If that happens, it would mean we'd see the second consecutive year without a Labour Day doubleheader. Before last season, a single game on Labour Day hadn't happened since 1949.

Still, that's the least of the issues to consider if the Tiger-Cats aren't able to open their new stadium on Labour Day. The team's been incredibly optimistic throughout this process, saying until less than a month before their first scheduled game in July that the new stadium would be ready, and only moving their third home game to McMaster 15 days ahead of time. They've staked even more on this Labour Day opening, and there won't be much goodwill remaining if it goes wrong, especially given the poor stadium conditions and limited seats fans have had to endure so far. Even if the stadium does open, conditions may be so poor that it could still reflect badly on the franchise.

It's the question of the new stadium will open at all that's really important at the moment, though, and the Tiger-Cats don't have a lot of say in that. It's going to come down to whether the city's building officials believe the stadium can safely hold fans, and reports from the site suggest that may be a reach. Along those lines, Young's Apollo 13 reference may prove apt, but not in the sense he made it. It's worth noting how that mission didn't fulfill its goal of landing on the moon: in fact, it's remarkable that it managed to land safely back on Earth. Young's referencing how there was no option for NASA after the explosion other than trying to bring their astronauts back safely, something they were able to do in the end, but there are actually options for the Tiger-Cats (and hopefully, none of them will threaten lives). Moreover, while he's referencing the successful eventual homecoming of the astronauts, this situation may be closer to what went wrong for them. The Tim Hortons Field mess has already been compared to one disaster, and Young's comments will undoubtedly provide the impetus to compare them to another. If the stadium doesn't open as time. Hamilton, we may have a problem...