Pan Am Stadium 10-month delay fiasco an embarrassment for the province: NDP critic Paul Miller

HAMILTON - NDP Pan/Parapan Am Games critic MPP Paul Miller demanded today that the Liberal government get an immediate grip on the Hamilton Pan Am stadium fiasco. After a string of never-ending delays, the Games are at risk of not being ready.

 

“Infrastructure Ontario need to have their feet held to the fire — by the Premier if need be. This stadium was supposed to be ready last June. May 1 is the last possible day to give Hamilton police enough time to review security plans and conduct drills — isn’t that important to this government? Yet it’s still not ready,” said Miller.

The stadium, built under a public-private partnership, still has about 250 deficiencies outstanding. The city has had to cancel all community events planned for the stadium in April.

“We’ve also learned that Infrastructure Ontario will pay up in full once the stadium is 99 percent complete. Given the track record to date, what hope is there that the last one percent will ever be finished? Will the elevators be working? Will the stadium be leaking on the heads of Pan Am fans?” asked Miller. 

“This is embarrassing Hamilton, it’s embarrassing Ontario, and yet the government is planning to pay up in full after a ten-month delay and before it’s even finished,” said Miller. “That’s the biggest embarrassment of all.”