City Rinks (Toronto)
The Unofficial Website of Toronto's Outdoor Rinks
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TORONTO STAR, JANUARY 3 1958: "It is true that the parks department operates 58 natural ice rinks for skating and 23 for hockey - or will do so, if and when there is enough frost. For all the freezing weather we get here most winters, the department might as well spare the trouble and expense, and get on with the job of multiplying the number of artificial ice rinks."
(And they did!)
Click on poster to enlarge it
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City of Toronto Outdoor Skating Rink list
City Skating Brochures
posted September 29, 2007
Note: These are brochures for 2009-2010.
- North District
- South District
- East District
- West District
- Skating lessons brochures, 2008-2009
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Toronto weather forecasts:
- Environment Canada five day
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You are on the [cover page] of folder [Mel Lastman Rink]< Ledbury Rink | Go to List of Rinks | North Toronto Memorial Rink >
See Rink Diaries for Mel Lastman Rink
Mel Lastman Square Rink Profile
Rink change area: One can change on the benches outside but the rubber mats don't reach all the benches so you are better off going inside where there are lockers and washrooms. The changeroom is part of a hallway between 3 entrances to the civic centre so skaters and employees rub shoulders.
Staff: Staff are very friendly but mostly this rink is unsupervised. The brochure says you can skate unsupervised 11am to 11pm, with music sometimes after 4pm. But the rink is just as unsupervised and open at 9am as 11am. Often civic centre employees take lunch to tie on their skates.
Maintenance: The rink is maintained with a zamboni on site, usually parked outside. There are 14 ice maintenance shifts a week.
Public Skating and open shinny hockey:
Free Pleasure-skating: All the time. Supervised with rink guards 8 hours a week.
Shinny hockey: Unofficial, after hours, by the light from the windows.
To inquire about permits for this rink, call Elvie at 416 395-6004.
Comments about this rink: e-mail us at rinkissues@cityrinks.ca.
Views of the rink
 Days before the rink is open to the public |
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Rink Diary 2009-2010
Tuesday November 17th, 2009
This rink is scheduled to open on the 21st of November. At around 2pm, there was a lot of activity in the North York Civic center nearby, but no staff that knew anything about the rink. The security guards there were unaware that there was a rink, they were there mainly to do crowd control for the flu vaccination waiting area. The rink pad seemed clean , but the compressors were off. There was a rink sandwich board up with signage about not having ice melters close to the rink, and that hockey was not permitted, but nothing about the opening date. Indoors the rink change area was cordoned off with yellow caution tape. The security guards said there was some construction going on. Upstairs at the PFR offices, a lady at the main desk gave me a number for a supervisor of the downstairs area.
Friday November 20th, 2009
Overcast, windy. The parks staff working said that the good news was that the compressors were in good condition and ready to go. However, the decision was made early in the week that due to temperatures in the 10s and sun, that it was not possible to make ice. They were hoping to start on Tuesday the 24th.
Tuesday Nov. 24 2009
1 pm: Mel Lastman square. Workers are on site. The rink has its closed signs up. The compressors must be doing a dandy job because there is frost on the pad. I talk to the workers: they say they turned on the compressors last night and they will start flooding tonight (Tuesday night). I ask why they didn't turn on the compressors earlier, they say there was no point because the weather was too warm. I tell them Nathan Phillips opened, they say it is warmer in the north of Toronto. When is it going to be ready? I ask. When it's ready is their answer.
Monday Nov.30, 2009
Mel Lastman square is OPEN ! as of this weekend according to the parks staff. No skaters but the music is on. The ice is described as "soft" by the worker but it isn't soft. It looks and feels good on my boots.
Dec.16 2009
12.30pm: 7 skaters, some beginner. No helmets
Monday Dec 21 2009
11 am: 6 skaters, none with helmets, all pleasure skaters. I ask how the skating is going, they say the rink is too small.
Dec.22 2009
12.30pm: 10 skaters, no helmets 2 staff. Everyone looks happy and the music is christmas-y.
To see the (2007-2008) report card, click here
Content last modified on January 16, 2010, at 11:11 AM EST