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wood stove at DufferinCustodians:
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You are in the Dufferin Park Rink folder
For city-wide information, see Current Rink Conditions in Latest News on the home page.
Dufferin (Double Pad) Rink Profile
Compressors: 150 hp.
Rink change area: Rink house converted to "clubhouse" (open to all Toronto residents, visitors welcome too). Wood stove, games, toys, lots of lockers, snack bar with 25 cent slices of bread from park outdoor bread ovens, soup, mini-pizzas, organic hot chocolate, Fair Trade organic coffee. Friday night suppers with emphasis on families. Skate loans ($2). Live music at times. Rink house unavailable for changing during weekly organic farmers' market (Thursdays 1pm-8pm), but lots of benches set up outside. Groups can book to have campfires beside the rink house (no indoor birthday permits available). Call rink at 392-0913 for more information.
Staff: Happy to hear feedback and concerns - 416-392-0913, or e-mail staff@dufferinpark.ca
Maintenance: Zamboni. Ice is cleaned four times a day: Monday - Friday at 8 a.m., 3:15 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 8:55 p.m.; Saturday at 8 a.m., 1:30p.m., 5:15 p.m., 8:45 p.m.; Sunday at 8 a.m., (1:30 p.m. if busy), 4:45 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:45 p.m..
Free shinny-hockey and pleasure-skating hours:
2011-2012
Free Pleasure-skating: Available a total of 60 hours a week (supervised), 10:30 hours (unsupervised), during prime time.
Free Shinny hockey: Available a total of 45 hours a week (supervised) 2 hours (unsupervised), during prime time
*prime time means after 4pm weekdays and all day on weekends
Comments about this rink: e-mail us at rinkissues@cityrinks.ca.
Opening and closing dates:
Opens: Nov 24, 2012
Closes: Mar 10, 2013
Rink Diary 2012 -2013
March 4, 2013
To the end of February, food-and-skate-loan income in the rink season has been $18,000 less than in the rink season last year. No surprise -- so much has been dismantled.
March 5, 2013
It was sunny most of the day,. and even though it never got above -1, the ice was bad by 3 pm. Park management has decreed that the rinks should try to stay open until March 15 -- as if.
3 pm at -2 celsius -- mushy ice
deep meltwater at shinny hockey entrance
hockey nets sunk down into ice
Views of the rink
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A bit of Dufferin Rink history
A link to Cavan Young's NFB/CBC 2004 short film about Dufferin Rink: Citizen Z
posted September 2006
tiles found at restaurant demolition, 1996
Zamboni Cafe, 2007
From Jutta Mason: In 1992 Dufferin Grove Park's old outdoor artificial ice rink was torn down and a new one built. In 1994 a few of us began to work with the rink staff. It was an unpleasant experience for years, but eventually we were accepted and able to shape what happened there in the winter. The food was a big thing (cookies, oranges, then mini-pizzas) plus the juices, so we got two old fridges and put them in the garage to store our supplies. Gradually the 'gangsters' who hung out there evolved out of the worst of their behaviours, and began to relax a bit, joining the rest of the community. Read More >>
2012-2013 Schedule
This Rink has two skating pads. Typically one side is used for pleasure skating (during hours when rink is staffed), and the other for shinny.
For the skating schedule, go to Dufferin Rink page on the City website, then click on Skating.
Local Rink Schedule - which may differ from the city schedule.
Holiday Schedule click here
View local rink schedule as a pdf
For up to date listings of open rinks (not the same as scheduled openings), see Current Conditions on the cityrinks.ca Home Page
If you notice a different schedule at your rink, please let us know mail@cityrinks.ca
See also the City of Toronto Outdoor Rinks web pages.
Rink Diary 2012-2013
March 4, 2013
To the end of February, food-and-skate-loan income in the rink season has been $18,000 less than in the rink season last year. No surprise -- so much has been dismantled.
March 5, 2013
It was sunny most of the day,. and even though it never got above -1, the ice was bad by 3 pm. Park management has decreed that the rinks should try to stay open until March 15 -- as if.
3 pm at -2 celsius -- mushy ice
deep meltwater at shinny hockey entrance
hockey nets sunk down into ice
Rink Diary January 2012
Saturday January 7 2012
holiday crowds
time for an indoor break
weather so warm no coats are needed
keeping an eye out the window
The non-skating mother of a young rink rat has been spending a lot of time at the rink during the holidays, sitting at the counter by the windows, reading her book and keeping an eye out. She said she's never had a chance before to see how diverse the rink world is. There are so many different ages and countries of origin -- and many different behaviours too. Today she saw the rink staff kicking out some loudmouth, reckless kids for the day. She said she can't believe some of the bad behaviour she's witnessed this week, even in quite young kids. But we told her -- wait and see -- some of those kids will turn out much better than you'd think. Rude kids from a decade ago are coming back to the park, with their own little kids learning to skate. The ex-troublemakers are often hard-working, friendly adults, who seem overjoyed to be back.
That makes it worthwhile. But some of this current bunch of young ones are certainly hard to take.
January 11 2012
The ice is getting too thick, over 5 inches in some places, you can hardly see the dasher boards. There's been so much rain, and that made it higher. The zamboni drivers are flooding less, and cutting more.
ice almost to the top of dasher boards
melting along the boards --thick ice
Friday January 13, 2012
snowy day "instagram" sent by J. Barduhn
An "instagram" sent by J. Barduhn: “Well, there's about 3/4 of an inch on both sides of the ice. ;( supposed to scrape at 8AM, hasn't been done yet. Might be a while before we can skate."
Sunday January 15 2012
Today there's an article in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald, called "Lucky Torontonians get to skate in the rain." They're a couple of recent King's College graduates who got a contract with Halifax's main newspaper to do a trip visiting outdoor rinks from North Bay to Halifax, and then writing about them, accompanied by podcasts. Nice piece.
Tuesday Jan.24 2012, e-mail to recreation supervisor Glen Synowicki
I asked rink staff today if they know how the lockout would affect the Ward 18 rinks. They said that you told them that management is still working on the plans, and that it's a bit early to discuss what will happen.
I hope you'll re-think that -- it's not at all early, it's pretty late. There are two occasions this weekend where the possible labour disruption will be much discussed -- at a community supper at Campbell Park on Saturday and at the Sunday afternoon campfire at Dufferin Rink.
The biggest question I have is: does management intend to turn off the compressors if Local 416 is locked out? It's my understanding that the Tech services people are not 416, and certainly the Local 79 people have not had a "no board" yet. So if the compressors stay on, that means the Ward 18 rinks could continue to operate until the city locks out the remaining workers. Snow would simply be cleared using shovels instead of zambonis, as with the city-sanctioned natural ice rinks. I'm told that CUPE members are prepared to volunteer with shoveling help.
Please let me know management's current intentions regarding the compressors. I need this information by Wednesday afternoon because I want to include it in the Wednesday night market news. Permit holders want to know too.
Wednesday Jan.25 2012, response from recreation supervisor Glen Synowicki
At this time it is premature to discuss the specifics of the City's contingency plans - the goal is to achieve negotiated collective agreements with the unions. The City's service delivery plans in the event of a labour disruption are still being refined. Once the plans have been finalized I will share them with you and the team. Until then it's business as usual.
Thursday January 26 2012, thought of the day from Jacob Davis, aged 10:
"If I were the mayor, I would give the workers whatever they need because people love the rinks SO much."
So what do the workers need to make the rinks work well?
Feb.6 2012
Rink workers woke up to the news that CUPE Local 416 and the City have settled on an agreement. Astonishment. But it means the rinks can run to the end of the season, or almost, if the City files a "no board against Local 79 on Tuesday. Local 79 is still in bargaining. Read More >>
To see the (2007-2008) report card, click here
Content last modified on December 20, 2012, at 05:16 PM EST