Let’s Cut our Loses and Get Out of This Deal

The debate over the Pan Am Stadium continues to rage, unbelievably, almost two years   after winning the bid.

The behaviour of the Tiger Cats adminstration in the interim has been appalling, surely a fine of example of the “it’s just business” maxim gone berserk, with people playing games like it’s reality Monopoly. Their behaviour displays a level of gamesmanship that may work in the corporate world where deep pockets fund fancy lawyers, but this is public money we’re spending just trying to find a solution for their demands, which have been solidly stuck in the concrete of a closed mindset. That they can hi-jack a civic-building, legacy project that the Pan Am stadium is supposed to be, and turn it into an acrimonious and city-splitting national debacle is a result of putting the horse before the cart; we end up with the tail wagging the dog.

The inability of city council to come together is indicative not if their ineptitude, as many allege. It is a symptom of our dysfunctional municipal identity.

With an opportunity to effect change and see some progress, maybe even movement, on some of our matters, in the shape of the municipal elections in last fall, what did the people of Hamilton do? We elected the same people, with only a few new faces around the councilor’s circular table. One of them being, significantly, the Mayor, but a player not without his own history on city council.  So how much “new” can be expected is the question facing many who hope for some positive change in the way in which Hamilton manages its relationships with the varied and multiple stakeholders who live, and work, in in the Greater Hamilton Area (GHA).

The debate over the stadium location affects more that just the Tiger Cats and their fans.   There is a velodrome that floats, precariously around the stadium discussions. A velodrome that has a sound business plan and a proven base of support in the Hamilton
community.

The velodrome is just a piece of a larger vision of Hamilton as a hub for cycling enthusiasts of all kinds and characters, from velodrome speedsters to circuit racers and Sunday afternoon country-side travelers.  The success of the World Championships in 2003 gave us just a taste of what we could do if we chose to pursue excellence in this area.  By leveraging these two great events, we have a chance to be in on the ground floor of the creation of a new way of life for a population who, quite frankly, could use the exercise.

Football doesn’t have quite the same motivational or participatory aspects.

This debate is shaping up as a metaphor for our morphing municipal identity, from one based on manufacturing and brute force, to one where speed, skill and endurance are required.  Is it possible that football, never as big a draw in Canada as it is in the US, could be past its prime as a major entertainment sport, particularly in the face of growing numbers of immigrants who favour soccer, and lately, cricket?  When viewed through that perspective, it would seem that supporting the Tiger Cats may be like bailing a sinking ship.

There’s going to be a lot of people pointing fingers and making accusations about who sunk what and who screwed the deal. What’s plainly clear is that common ground couldn’t be found in an area where so much land needs to be redeveloped.

And that’s a real tragedy in a city that has so much to lose.