Cost of Canadian Open wrongly kept from public: Hamilton councillors

City councillors argue the public should have been told what it will cost Hamilton to host the RBC Canadian Open in 2024 before staff were directed to firm up arrangements with private organizers.

I think the discussion about the financials should be public," Coun. John-Paul Danko said.

That's why he voted against telling city staff to finalize agreements with the PGA Tour event's organizers earlier this week.

The original plan was to hold the professional golf tournament in 2023 at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

But the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed other host cities' events, bumping the local one back a year.

The city is bearing a fairly substantial cost" to hold the tournament at the Ancaster club, but those details are enshrouded in the confidentiality of private council sessions, Danko says.

On Wednesday, Nrinder Nann, Brenda Johnson and Maureen Wilson sided with Danko on the losing end of the 11-4 vote giving staff the green light to finalize arrangements for the June 5 to 11, 2024, tournament.

If a significant" public subsidy is offered to professional sporting events, the city should be obliged" to tell residents what it is, Wilson told The Spectator.

I think it's in the public interest to detail what that is so that the public can assess whether there is value in that."

The RBC Canadian Open, which is organized by Golf Canada and the PGA Tour, has been held at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club six times.

The last time, in 2019, it attracted 120,000 fans with a North American broadcast audience of about 17 million views, a city staff report noted.

Hosting the major tournament results in significant economic and direct economic impact" for Hamilton.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger said big events like the RBC Canadian Open attract business to Hamilton.

But the disclosure of the details of a hosting contract undermines" the city's competitive negotiating position for future bids" with others also aiming to land events, Eisenberger said in an emailed statement.

A York University public policy expert, however, questions private talks on the topic.

Without knowing what the actual contents are, it sounds to me that this is something that should be made public," associate professor Zachary Spicer said.

He also contended the argument that the city could be undercut" by another municipality doesn't really hold up" since each has its unique set of assets" to offer.

In Hamilton's case, it's a world-class golf course," Spicer said.

I don't think anything nefarious is actually happening here. I think it's just that there are economic benefits, and if they outweigh the costs, let the public know that."

Representatives of Golf Canada didn't respond to requests for comment Friday.

Late last year after a private session, at Danko's behest, most of council agreed to release financial details of the still-secret RBC Canadian Open proposed event - but after agreements are finalized.

On Friday, a city spokesperson said contracts the city signs with event organizers, including Golf Canada, are confidential."

But once staff finish negotiations later this year," the event costs will be made public in keeping with council's direction.

Danko argues that information - which ultimately must be reflected in budget documents - should have been public from the outset, especially if it involves the deep-pocketed PGA Tour.

When you have a for-profit organization that makes tons and tons of money, that's being subsidized or funded by taxpayers' dollars, I think that changes the conversation on the event."

That doesn't mean he doubts the quality of the golf tournament. The last time it was here it was a great event."

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com