STATEMENT BY MAYOR EISENBERGER CONCERNING THE END OF THE STADIUM LITIGATION
May 31, 2018, Hamilton, ON - Today the City of Hamilton reached a settlement agreement with the parties involved in the Tim Hortons Field litigation launched in 2016.
Council and I are pleased with the settlement, and with the work of our settlement team, the contractor, the Province of Ontario and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. They worked hard and in good faith to achieve this resolution with no additional costs for the stadium passed on to Hamilton taxpayers.
There are no outside legal costs associated with the litigation. The settlement was conducted using only internal City staff and no external counsel was retained.
As a result of the resolution, the City is on budget and has sufficient monies remaining to complete final works at the stadium.
The stadium was funded by the City, the province and a federal government as part of the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, and was meant to be delivered as a fully functioning stadium that residents and visitors could enjoy for years to come.
The stadium was scheduled to be complete on June 30, 2014, but was delivered to the City on May 7, 2015. Since taking over the stadium, the City has worked with the contractor on a number of completion and remediation works, including and not limited to an examination and remediation of all overhead speakers and other overhead fixtures, leak remediation, work on transformers, lighting controls, audio and visual systems, scoreboard upgrades, floor drains on the concourse levels, adjustments and repairs to various mechanical systems throughout the stadium. The parties involved in the stadium litigation have been in confidential settlement negotiations since early 2016.
This resolution concludes on a positive note a chapter in the city’s history and allows us now to move forward to refocus on enjoyment of the stadium and all of the wonderful sporting, cultural and community events still to come. For example, this clears the way for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, in partnership with the City, to work together to secure a Grey Cup for the people of Hamilton and again showcase our great city to the entire country. It also clears the way for major league soccer to possibly come to our city for the benefit of all.
I wish to thank Ted McMeekin MPP, the Province and all the parties involved for bringing about this resolution.
STATEMENT BY MAYOR EISENBERGER CONCERNING THE IMPACTS OF STEEL TARIFFS
May 31, 2018, Hamilton, ON – I am disappointed and dismayed by the decision today from President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel, and 10 percent on imported aluminum. This is a detrimental turning point in the Canada and USA relationship, with the potential for significant negative implications not only here, but in the USA, Mexico and the EU.
Locally, while it is difficult to determine how this will affect our some 9,000 steel manufacturing and production employees; a 25% tariff will see an immediate increase in pricing for steel related products such as cars, appliances etc. both in Canada and the USA.
Canada’s closest ally is the United States and I am still hopeful that saner heads will prevail, but I applaud our Federal Government for its swift and forceful reaction to help protect steel related jobs and our economy.
We will continue to work with our Federal and Provincial partners and meet with our steel committee; and encourage our national steel caucus lead by local MP Bob Bratina, with membership from local MP and former steel worker Scott Duvall to continue to advocate on behalf of the City of Hamilton steel industry and our national economic steel interests.
