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Submitted Thursday for Friday publication: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A Great Day for Our City. Today, Toronto2015 is announcing the winning bid and design details for Hamilton's long-awaited new Pan-Am sports stadium. The new stadium will be the home of the future generations of sports legends and public memories, in the same way so many of Hamilton's most important pubic events held at Ivor Wynne have been a vital part of the history and fabric of our community in the past. There is something intrinsically democratic and good in a community when thousands of citizens can attend a great concert, or watch the Tiger-Cats defeat the Argos. On game day, the stadium comes to life with the broadest spectrum of citizens one can imagine. Steelworkers and dentists wait in line with lawyers, teachers, trade unionists and retirees for hot dogs and beer. For two or three hours, it doesn't matter who you are, what you do, or where you live... we have a common focus... have some fun, watch some great Canadian football, and cheer for the Hamilton Tiger Cats. Regardless of our backgrounds, everyone who lives in our community are more alike than they are different, and having the opportunity to gather together at the events the new stadium will make possible reminds us of our common humanity more than almost anything else we do in our modern world. This announcement is the culmination of a tremendous amount of effort by

the City of Hamilton, the Pan American Games Committee, and the Government of Ontario, through Infrastructure Ontario. As the primary tenants of the stadium after the Games are over, the Hamilton Tiger-Cat Football Club has been grateful to have been included in this process. There was, as there should have been in any important public project, a lively and sometimes heated debate about the stadium and its location in the City. But thanks to the enthusiasm from all Hamiltonians for a new stadium somewhere in our city, and the hard work by the leaders and staff at the City of Hamilton we are getting a major new sports and entertainment venue for our city. This hard work is ensuring that we will get the most stadium for our money and will create a huge positive economic contribution to our city. While the Pan Am stadium will be a wonderful new venue for a wide range of public events including thousands of hours of community programming, soccer, amateur football, concerts, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, this new stadium project is only one of the many great things happening in the city these days: New hotels hold promise for attracting large events and conventions while enhancing the downtown core. The new HECFI management contract will help establish Hamilton as a viable destination for popular cultural and entertainment groups. James Street renewal and community Waterfront plans are just part of the many new resources improving Hamilton as a great place to live. The arrival of all-day GO train service to downtown Hamilton, and then east towards St. Catharines, will contribute to making our downtown the destination for our region it was when I was growing up here.

The success and expansion of McMaster University, Mohawk and Redeemer Colleges, as well as the other great schools in our region, in helping attract and train the best and brightest from across Canada cannot be underestimated. The new stadium project is just part of this progress, albeit I believe a big part. This is because of a stadium's ability to attract major events to Hamilton such as CFL games. Our games raise the visibility and broadcast the benefits of our city to millions of Canadians, across Canada and around the world every game, and the new stadium is going to represent Hamilton brilliantly to these audiences. We are excited about the new North/South stadium orientation. Wide concourses, elevators, individual seats for every fan, and state-of-the-art facilities for food and entertainment are just some of the benefits. We are also very pleased that the stadium design reflects the tradition in Hamilton of making our fans feel part of the action. Essentially, the sight-lines in the new stadium will ensure every fan has a good seat. The new stadium design is very respectful of our fans with disabilities, with features ranging from elevator wheel-chair access to optimized washroom and comfort room facilities. The Tiger-Cats may be a high-profile member of our community but we are just one of the many, many valuable organizations who contribute to its success. The reverse is also true, the Tiger-Cats cannot succeed unless Hamilton succeeds. With the July 2014 opening of the new stadium exciting new traditions will begin, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are thrilled to be part of undeniable progress we are seeing across the city we all love and want the best for.

Oskee Wee Wee.

Cheers, Bob.

Bob Young, Caretaker, Hamilton Tiger-Cats Football Club, est 1869.

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