Air Canada Centre promises changes to improve sight lines for accessible seating

TORONTO — Officials at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment say fixes for sight lines in their 100-level accessible seating areas are almost complete.

It was back in July when Global News spoke to Toronto film mogul Paul Bronfman, who showed us pictures of his experience trying to watch a U2 concert at the venue blocked by a wall of people standing in front of him.

“You don’t see a thing,” he exclaimed, frustrated.

READ MORE: Film exec ‘cautiously optimistic’ after ACC proposes changes to accessible seating

After taking the issue to MLSE, Bronfman was told the company would make changes to sections 116A and 105 by the time the Leafs played their home opener.

The plan was to raise the floors in those sections by eight inches using poured concrete.

Bronfman was “cautiously optimistic;” but when he got to the October 7th game the view was no better than it had been.

“Not a bloody thing was done,” he recalled over Skype from a business trip in Miami, Florida.

MLSE officials say they’ve already explained to Bronfman that their plan is slightly delayed.

“We had one solution where we were going to pour concrete,” said Wayne Zronik, Vice President of Facilities & Entertainment. “The building wasn’t going to take the weight of that.”

READ MORE: Film mogul outraged over accessible seating view at Air Canada Centre

 Instead they’re installing a new plywood deck, which will start in the entryway and spread onto the floor of the sections in question.

“This whole accessible section will then be eight inches off the ground,” said Zronik, pointing to a rail-like bracket running along the floor that will hold the decking up. “It will have a specialty flooring, a non-slip specialty flooring.”

Zronik said the changes will be made by the Leafs’ next home game on Oct. 26.

As for the seats in front of those accessible sections, they belong to other season ticket holders, so there’s nothing they can do to them for Leafs and Raptors games; but for concerts, they plan to stop selling them altogether.

MLSE said that should keep the next row of spectators lower. Zronik said that will provide a total 24 inches of extra viewing space for those attending concerts in wheelchairs.  

It’s been a difficult task.

MLSE said retrofitting a 16-year-old building is not easy.

Drastic reconfigurations to seating need to conform to its engineering plan to be safe.

As for the changes promised by the next time he takes his seat there, Bronfman said he’ll believe it when he sees it.

“If they don’t do what they said they’re going to do when I get back there October 31st, they’re going to wish I wasn’t a Leaf subscriber, or a concert-goer, because I will take legal action.”