HAMILTON, Ont. — It looks like Tim Hortons Field will be finished for Monday’s Labour Day Classic after all.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats got virtually the green light from the City of Hamilton on Saturday for Monday afternoon’s CFL game against the visiting Toronto Argonauts.
Gerry Davis, the city’s general manager of public works, told the Ticats in a statement: "Contractors have advised us that they will be completing all the key construction pieces over the next two days, and getting final sign off this weekend. These assurances give us confidence that the Labour Day game will proceed."
The Ticats practised at their new stadium this week for the first time, however the City of Hamilton still hadn’t signed off on the $145-million facility.
"It’s great to hear assurances from the contractors and confidence from the City of Hamilton that the Labour Day Classic will proceed as scheduled at Tim Hortons Field," Ticats caretaker Bob Young said in a statement.
The 24,500-seat stadium — the site for the 2015 Pan Am Games soccer competition — was scheduled for completion June 30. However construction delays forced the Ticats to play their first three home games at McMaster University.
Capacity for Monday’s game will be around 18,000.
The Ticats had two contingency plans in place if the game couldn’t be played Monday. They planned to move it to Tuesday night, either at Tim Hortons Field or Rogers Centre in Toronto.