Location

Foot of Lee, S of Queen, in the Beaches. See Satellite Map

This rink is right beside Lake Ontario and the boardwalk, at the edge of one of Toronto's most favoured parks.

Single pad.

Parking on street.

For ice conditions, call the rink at 416-392-0739.

Schedule

See Schedule tab

City Councillor

The City Councillor for this rink is Councillor McMahon

Kew Gardens Rink Profile

Rink change area: Small and windowless. Sex-segregated. (Really just larger versions of washrooms). Staff room is in a different building, used by the lacrosse club the rest of the year. Lockers available. Patchy rubber mats connect the changeroom to the rink. Phone: 416-392-0739

Staff: they have a windowless office but have made a sign with an arrow showing how to find them. Staff seem courteous and knowledgable.

Maintenance: Zamboni on site, zamboni driver not on site, comes to clean ice,a minimum of 3 floods and scrapes a day, sometimes 5. Building Attendants (BA's) help clear the ice of snow, but there are no large green shovels on site.

Free shinny-hockey and pleasure-skating hours:

2011-2012

Free Pleasure-skating: Available a total of 19 hours a week , during prime time.

Free Shinny hockey: Available a total of 26 hours a week during prime time

Good game. There is also women's shinny on Mondays from 6 - 8.30. This rink is very big in the neighbourhood, and well-used. Single pad.

Classes and permits only available through central city booking.

*prime time means after 4pm weekdays and all day on weekends

Cost to run this Rink.

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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

See also: Editor's and Rink Users' blog

January 1, 2013, from Carl Dusome

Kew Gardens in the Beach was open with a flood ( perfect ice) on Christmas day, boxing day and again today New Years day and the dressing rooms were open but no staff on site. The rink though was posted as closed. Just an early morning flood and rooms opened. Played shinny there all three days at 9:00am with about 15 skaters each day, followed by pleasure skating families.

January 12, 2013, from Carl Dusome

I played shinny down at Kew this morning Sat. They scraped then flooded at 7:30am and we played at 8:00am. The ice was really good for the first half hour and then it snowed up pretty quickly. They still flood even on warm days and it only takes about ten minute to dry up. Could be the location (a little cooler down by the water in the Beaches) or good compressers, but I think it's just really good maintenance. We had about 20 skaters. Rink maintenance down there is nothing but spectacular. We even played Fri. morning at 9:00am before it rained.

Read More >>

See Diaries tab

Views of the rink

Kew Gardens Rink Right beside Lake Ontario and the boardwalk; lovely

new rink office window put in last year

From The City of Toronto Website 2012-13

For the skating schedule, go to Kew Gardens Rink page on the City website, then click on Skating.

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

See also: Editor's and Rink Users' blog

January 1, 2013, from Carl Dusome

Kew Gardens in the Beach was open with a flood ( perfect ice) on Christmas day, boxing day and again today New Years day and the dressing rooms were open but no staff on site. The rink though was posted as closed. Just an early morning flood and rooms opened. Played shinny there all three days at 9:00am with about 15 skaters each day, followed by pleasure skating families.

January 12, 2013, from Carl Dusome

I played shinny down at Kew this morning Sat. They scraped then flooded at 7:30am and we played at 8:00am. The ice was really good for the first half hour and then it snowed up pretty quickly. They still flood even on warm days and it only takes about ten minute to dry up. Could be the location (a little cooler down by the water in the Beaches) or good compressers, but I think it's just really good maintenance. We had about 20 skaters. Rink maintenance down there is nothing but spectacular. We even played Fri. morning at 9:00am before it rained.

Read More >>

Rink Diary 2011 - 2012

5pm Saturday 19th November

The compressors are on. The mats are out (an inadequate number though...the usual thin path from the segregated change rooms to the rink). I estimate that there has been one flood, and it must have been recent since the water is still liquid. I bet they could open by Monday with night floods tonight and Sunday night. Signage: instead of opening dates they refer folks to the website toronto.ca/skate where I am informed that the city is trying hard but couldn't open. When might Kew open? No info on that.

Sunday 20 Nov 2pm:

sounds like the compressor plant is on, but no new water has been added. No staff. No new information. Not promising.

Read More >>

Diary 2010 - 2011, Rink Diary 2009 - 2010, Diary 2008-2009, Diary 2007 -2008, RinkDiary2006-2007, Rink Diary 2004 - 2005