Grey Cup costs secret until deal inked: Hamilton officials

The Grey Cup will be played at Tim Hortons Field next month, but how much it could cost Hamilton taxpayers to host the big game remains confidential.

The city won't release that information until it firms up the contract to host the 108th CFL championship game on Dec. 12.

That's too late, Coun. John-Paul Danko says.

Any investment in public funds should have a public discussion about how they're being invested."

But potential Grey Cup costs - direct or through in-kind services - have been kept secret.

Late last month, councillors Danko, Maureen Wilson and Nrinder Nann were on the losing end of a 9-3 vote that kept a closed-session staff update on the event confidential.

Staff didn't respond to The Spectator's request for an interview, but in an email Wednesday the city noted contributions to the Grey Cup will be disclosed after the agreement is finalized.

Publicly announcing the council-approved upset limit before finalizing the negotiation of the city's actual financial commitment would put the city in a weak negotiation position with event organizers and other potential funding partners."

That agreement is expected to be signed in the near future."

Coun. Lloyd Ferguson said he agreed with keeping the city's contribution under wraps until the deal is inked. That's an absolute must if we're in negotiations with them."

Likewise, Mayor Fred Eisenberger said via email that confidentiality allows the city to maintain a competitive edge against others in the bidding process, while ensuring equal opportunity when entering future negotiations."

But Danko said waiting until deals are made before sharing a figure leaves the public on the sidelines. There's really no debate about it at that point."

Wilson agreed, saying after events are awarded there should be disclosure if public money is involved.

And the public can have a conversation on whether they think that's a valuable injection of investment dollars."

A York University public policy expert says the disclosure policy for sporting events should be no different than other procurement, such as road work.

The public should have the ability to have a voice in this process," said Zac Spicer, who rejects that disclosure would compromise a deal.

And I suspect that people would be quite happy to host the Grey Cup, not once but twice, and the Canadian Open and everything else," the Hamilton resident said.

The CFL has also selected Hamilton to host the 2023 Grey Cup.

League officials didn't respond to a request for comment, but Ticats president Matt Afinec noted this week that a deal with the city is imminent."

We're working very diligently with the city. It's a complex file. We're making good progress."

The Ticats respect the city's policies, Afinec said, but he declined to wade into the disclosure debate, noting it wasn't the club's place to comment" on the municipality's process.

In 2019, a City of Calgary report noted the Stampeders requested $550,000 to offset the cost of municipal services related to the 107th Grey Cup and festival that November.

The Alberta government committed $1.5 million and Tourism Calgary $70,000, while $2 million in private-sector support was expected, the report also noted.

A spokesperson for Calgary didn't reply by deadline Wednesday to confirm the final contributions.

In Hamilton, Danko and other councillors have also raised concerns about disclosure of municipal costs for the RBC Canadian Open in 2024.

Similar to the Grey Cup, the city's contribution to the PGA tournament at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club are to be released after agreements are finalized.

But the city said Wednesday any money that went toward the golf event in 2019 is confidential information per the signed agreement," but didn't explain how the expenditure would be reflected in budget documents.

Keeping local contributions confidential even after deals are executed makes sense said Ferguson, noting disclosure could compromise the city's leverage with organizers of future events.

They're going to be knocking on the door and wanting the same."

In his emailed statement Wednesday, Eisenberger called Hamilton a great city and a hub for opportunity, talent and tourism."

We are excited and look forward to hosting large events that will contribute to economic uplift, attract visitors to our city and showcase the possibilities in Hamilton."

In recent years, the Grey Cup has generated local economic impacts of $75 million to $100 million through direct and indirect spending, Afinec said.

On Dec. 12, due to the pandemic, attendance at Tim Hortons Field will be limited to 24,000 instead of an expanded 33,000.

We're fortunate that we're going to have two in three years and we'll have the full activity that we bid on for 2021 happen here in 2023," Afinec said.

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