Visit Skating for information on outdoor rinks.
Skating on other open bodies of water is not allowed. Temperature changes, salt run-off and other factors can make the ice dangerous.
About 30 to 40 natural ice rinks in parkland are built by community volunteers each year. Availability and ice conditions can vary throughout the winter based on weather and volunteer maintenance. Use at your own risk. We encourage all skaters to wear a helmet for safety.
Sledges and skate aids are available. Visit the skating section of Accessible Recreation Facilities and Equipment to learn more and request access.
Wheelchairs, both manual and powered, are allowed on the ice during leisure skate. Check with on-site staff on accessing the ice.
Strollers are allowed on the ice during supervised public and leisure skate times at rinks. Once at the rink, contact City staff for guidance before accessing the ice. Children are required to be properly secured in the stroller before entering the rink. Strollers should not be used as a skate aid.
Help us keep the ice clean and safe. If you are using a wheelchair, sledge, stroller or approved skate aid, please ensure they do not track salt or dirt onto the ice surface.
Pick-up/drop-in hockey and shinny and registered programs/lessons have their own set of rules.
Check the outdoor rink status to see if your rink is open. Depending on the weather, rinks may be closed.
After any heavy snowfall, the rinks will close due to clean up. The City operates more than 50 outdoor rinks in a typical season and crews work as quickly as they can to clean the ice and re-open the rink after a snowfall.
Sometimes on warm days, the City has to close some rinks temporarily until the weather cools down. This is due to the size and type of a rink’s refrigeration system, its physical location (north/south or east/west facing) and how much it is used. All of this factors into the ability to keep ice hard and smooth when temperatures rise above 0 degrees Celsius. To check if a rink is open on a warm day, check the rink status or call 311.
Rinks are maintained by being flooded on a regular basis but schedules are adjusted daily to accommodate inclement weather, staffing issues, equipment breakdowns, permits/programs and heavy traffic conditions.
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