Stadium delays bump a cancer fundraiser and other May events

A cancer fundraiser. An all-star game for high school football players. A test event for the Pan Am Games. Most of a Hamilton Tiger-Cats 2014 football season.

All are events that were supposed to happen in the new Tim Horton's Field stadium, and they've all been cancelled or moved. Because nearly 11 months after the deadline, the stadium still isn't finished. And now it won't be ready to hand over to the city until mid May.

The $145-million stadium is supposed to be home to the soccer games for the 2015 Pan Am Games in July. That's not in danger, said Gerry Davis, the city's general manager of public works. Police can still get in and do their security test runs as scheduled in May.

But it will still be weeks before months-overdue stadium is handed over to the city. Inspectors likely won't give the final approval for substantial completion until mid May, Davis said. That will be just enough time for Pan Am organizers to take possession on June 1.

Meanwhile, a May all-star game and the annual Climb for Cancer, held at the former Ivor Wynne stadium for nine years, will have to go elsewhere.

"It's unconscionable," said Coun. Lloyd Ferguson, a construction industry veteran and chair of the city's Pan Am subcommittee.

"It just goes to show you that we cannot let this stuff out of our control."

This news is the latest frustration in a project that was supposed to be done by June 30, 2014. Infrastructure Ontario (IO) hired Ontario Sports Solutions (ONSS), a construction consortium, to build it. That means the city hasn't had a say in the design or construction of the project, to which it contributed $45 million.

ONSS has given numerous reasons for delays, from weather to issues with subcontractors. But Ferguson says he's not sure what's taking so long.

He hopes to grill IO and ONSS about that at a Pan Am subcommittee meeting on Monday. Neither organization has attended the last two subcommittee meetings, and the city sent them a pointed invitation this month.

"They're embarrassed," Ferguson said of why they haven't shown.

The city specifically invited John McKendrick, executive vice president of IO. But Davis says McKendrick is on vacation and won't be there on Monday.

One of Ferguson's beefs with IO is that it didn't build daily penalties into its contract with ONSS. The only financial penalty: IO is withholding $89 million until ONSS finishes the stadium. 

"McKendrick can't swing a hammer," Ferguson said. "(ONSS) can. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a weapon."

As for the process, ONSS will likely submit a letter asking for substantial completion status later this week or early next week, Davis said. Then it will take an independent consultant 10 days to expect it.

Once that's done, the city will spend about four weeks inspecting the stadium itself to approve it.