FirstOntario Centre to remain open for Grey Cup week in Hamilton: report
Published March 30, 2023 at 2:34 pm
The planned renovation of Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre will happen this year, only we just learned that it will begin later than anticipated.
The $50-million-plus upgrades were originally scheduled to begin after Sept. 17 — when the arena hosts the Canadian Country Music Awards. But The Spectator’s Steve Milton confirmed on Thursday that the facility will remain open through most of November to be used as part of the Grey Cup festival, scheduled from Nov. 16 to 19.
A spokesperson for the Hamilton Urban Entertainment Precinct Group (HUPEG), the consortium responsible for the arena upgrades, as well as renovations to FirstOntario Concert Hall and Hamilton Convention Centre, told Milton they have an “obligation to the community to do whatever is possible for this festival to be successful.”
Hamilton and the Tiger-Cats will host the Grey Cup again this year after the event was downsized significantly in 2021 to accommodate COVID-19 health and safety protocols. FirstOntario Centre is expected to play an important role in hosting the accompanying festivities.
The planned renovations forced the arena’s main tenants, the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, CEBL’s Honey Badgers, and NLL’s Toronto Rock, to find new homes. The Bulldogs will play their games in Brantford through at least 2026, while the Honey Badgers found a permanent basketball home in Brampton. The Rock, meanwhile, have not officially announced their plans for the 2023-24 professional lacrosse season.
In 2021, the City of Hamilton signed a 49-year agreement with HUPEG to operate and maintain FirstOntario Centre, FirstOntario Concert Hall, and Hamilton Convention Centre.
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The group will spend a minimum of $50 million to renovate FirstOntario Centre, which includes a new exterior facade and video board, “comprehensive transformation of the lower bowl,” expanded concourse level, and a new flexible curtaining system for the upper bowl balcony.
The renovation also proposes to allow year-round access to street-level activations on York Blvd., which the group says will include a sports lounge, e-gaming zone, and other food and beverage offerings in collaboration with local hospitality partners.
There are also plans for over $12.5 million in capital upgrades, expansion and aesthetic enhancements to the existing Hamilton Convention Centre and Concert Hall, and a one-time $2 million contribution to the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
HUPEG’s plan also includes over $500 million in additional mixed-use development, including 5 per cent affordable housing in one of the residential developments.
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