Winnipeg's new football stadium faces cost overruns

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are on the hook for several million dollars in additional costs related to the team's new stadium, Investors Group Field.

Winnipeg Football Club chief executive officer Garth Buchko was showing off the completed turf at the new stadium on Monday when he was asked about the cost overruns.

"The Winnipeg Football Club is absorbing those extra costs, and it's been reported [to be] between $2 million and $3 million," Buchko told reporters.

"Most of that is for fan experience and ways that we can generate additional revenue," he added.

On the football side of things, Buchko said the team will make a decision on the future of interim coach Tim Burke and general manager Joe Mack before the Grey Cup final.

Mack and Burke have been criticized by Blue Bombers fans for the team's disappointing performance this season.

Winnipeg lost its last chance to make the playoffs with a rain-soaked 28-18 loss in Hamilton this past weekend.

While the Bombers' last game of the season — to be held Saturday against the Montreal Alouettes — will also be the last CFL game at Winnipeg's Canad Inns Stadium, even that has no magic.

The Bombers had a lot of last-game hoopla last season, when they thought they were going to play 2012 at their new home.

That didn't happen, leaving fans to grumble about the failure of Bomber brass to keep them fully informed about construction progress on Investors Group Field.

Buchko, Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger and Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz were at the new $190-million stadium on Monday to show off the new artificial turf and goal posts.

But crews were still completing other work on the 33,500-seat shared facility, located on the southern edge of town at the University of Manitoba.