Investors Group Field

Development

The owners of Canad Inns, a Winnipeg-based hotel business and naming rights holder for the Blue Bombers' former stadium, forwarded a plan in 2007 to redevelop the entire site for commercial use and construct a football stadium for the Blue Bombers in another location. This proposal, although rejected in favour of David Asper's plan, called for a $265-million stadium at the former Public Markets site in the St. Boniface industrial park, which Canad Inns purchased from the city. The domed stadium would have been part of a $500-million complex that would have included a four-star hotel and an indoor water park.

David Asper's original proposal involved both federal and provincial government financial contributions ($40 Million each), as well as a transfer of assets (the publicly owned Blue Bomber franchise itself will be transferred into Asper's control, and the existing undeveloped commercial real estate surrounding the stadium). As part of Creswin's commitment to the project, Asper pledged to contribute $65 Million toward the Maroons Road development. In addition to stadium construction, the Asper proposal included 217,000 sq ft (20,200 m²) of retail development and a two level parking facility.

The Blue Bombers board of Directors investigated the possibility of rebuilding or substantially upgrading the existing stadium, largely with funds generated from the sale or lease of the adjacent commercial lands (the team holds the right to develop this property itself as part of its refinancing agreement with the City & Province). Being a community owned business, however, the Bombers organization would have had difficulty in accessing the capital required to move forward with such plans directly. The board placed its plans on hold pending the outcome of Asper's proposal.

The government was unwilling to grant Asper the $40 million at both the provincial and federal levels because it believed the money to be more of a gift than a grant. Creswin drew up a second proposal, where the same 30,000-40,000-seat stadium would be built instead in south Point Douglas. This new plan, they said, would greatly aid in urban renewal in what is the poorest neighborhood in Winnipeg. There was also a state-of-the-art water park & hotel, commercial buildings, and several other new buildings in the multimillion-dollar proposal. However, there was controversy here as well since south Point Douglas is an avid art community; many of the residents didn't want their character buildings to be destroyed, or suffer the loss of their homes.

A letter of intent was signed on September 13, 2009 between Asper's Creswin Properties and the University of Manitoba, allowing planning to continue for a stadium at the intersection of Chancellor Matheson Drive and University Crescent. The site is adjacent to the current University Stadium, which was built for the 1967 Pan American Games. The new proposal includes the construction of a 33,422-seat stadium, renovation of the existing stadium, and a world-class fitness facility. Inflatable 'bubbles' covering the playing field will also be made available in both stadiums during the winter months. The cost of the new stadium, was projected to be $115 million.

The new stadium would also be home of the University of Manitoba Bisons Football team. The design allows for expansion to 40,000 seats for the Grey Cup (however for 2015 Grey Cup 36,500 seats are available). The stadium was approved on 2 April 2009. The province of Manitoba later agreed to loan David Asper $90 million in order to guarantee that the project would break ground in 2010 and ensure that the stadium would open for 2012. Canadian Football League commissioner Mark Cohon, Premier Greg Selinger, David Asper, and Mayor Sam Katz and U of M President David Barnard officially broke ground at the site on May 20, 2010.

Asper and Creswin were removed from the deal as they made significant changes to the stadium design which broke the original contract agreement. The revised cost amounted to $190 million, with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers paying back $85 million, and the provincial and city levels of government splitting the rest of the costs as previously proposed.

Controversy

The new stadium was expected to be ready for the start of the 2012 season. However, on May 2, 2012, the Blue Bombers announced that because of constructions delays, the stadium would not be ready until September, thus forcing the team to play four or five home games at Canad Inns Stadium to start the season. In June 2012 it was announced that the stadium would not open until the 2013 season. In December 2013, it was reported that the previously-announced inflatable dome had been dropped from the plans in 2012.

In 2014, the builder, Stuart Olson Dominion, put a $1.9 million lien on the stadium because they claimed they were owed for some of the cost overruns. This dispute was resolved later that year, with the province contributing an additional $1.5 million to cover additional costs incurred during construction, bringing the total cost to $210 million.

On March 4, 2015, the stadium's ownership group, Triple B Stadium Inc., announced its intention to sue architect Ray Wan and builder Stuart Olson Dominion. In the statement of claim, they cited water damage caused by insufficient drainage in the building, as well as inadequate insulation and "extensive" cracking in the concrete among a total of 42 deficiencies. On April 23, Stuart Olson filed a Statement of defense, denying most of Triple B’s allegations, stating the shell company — which represents the city, province, university and the Winnipeg Football Club — made all the key construction decisions, in concert with the province, which paid for most of the construction up front. Stuart Olson also alleges political, and financial factors, led the province to rush the job and reduce its budget.

On October 27, 2015, the provincial government of Manitoba announced it would pay $35M to repair the stadium. It would then seek compensation for this further outlay of money from the proceeds of the aforementioned lawsuit.

Event history

The stadium hosted its first event on May 26, 2013, with the One Heart Winnipeg celebration, a multi-denominational church service organized by several local church groups. The Blue Bombers played their first home game at Investors Group Field on June 27, 2013, losing 38-33 to the Montreal Alouettes. Taylor Swift played the first concert at the new stadium on June 22. Paul McCartney followed with a sold-out concert on August 12.

The Canada women's national soccer team played their first match at Investors Group Field on May 8, 2014 against the USA women's national soccer team, with the result in a tie (1-1); this match was the first soccer game in this stadium. In June 2015, Winnipeg was one of six Canadian cities that hosted the FIFA Women's World Cup. The first four matches of Group D — between the United States, Australia, Sweden, and Nigeria — were contested at Investors Group Field, followed by three matches from various other groups. Due to FIFA's policy regarding commercial sponsorship of stadium names, the Investors Group Field was referred to as Winnipeg Stadium during the World Cup.

In March 2014, it was confirmed that Investors Group Field would host the 2015 Grey Cup. On July 27, 2014, Beyoncé and Jay-Z brought their co-headlining stadium On the Run Tour to Investors Group Field. This was one of their two Canadian stops for this tour, the other being the Rogers Centre in Toronto. On July 24, 2015, One Direction played a nearly sold-out show at the stadium on their On the Road Again Tour. On September 17, 2015, AC/DC played a sold-out show at the stadium during their Rock or Bust World Tour.

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

Media