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You may be on thin ice if you’ve been looking to use a city-run outdoor rink this season but still haven’t.
Toronto announced that this Sunday (March 19) will mark the last day outdoor skating rinks will be open for the season.
“With a few days left this March break, I invite residents to enjoy a skate one last time before the season concludes after Sunday,” said Deputy mayor Jennifer McKelvie.
“Whether you’re an ice enthusiast or a first-timer, our free and drop-in skate programs provide opportunities for those of all ages and experience levels,” McKelvie said.
The city said due to the warmer spring weather moving in, its 54 outdoor artificial ice rinks, skating trails and natural ice rinks will close Sunday evening.
Some of the spaces though will be converted to host other activities during the spring and summer months. Some of the activities include skateboarding, pickleball and tennis.
How many times were the rinks used?
City-supervised rinks were used over 500,000 times during their 62,000 hours of operation, the city said.
Over 800 part-time recreational staff and more than 120 parks staff were responsible for keeping the rinks and programs that occur at them open.
Through a partnership this season with Desjardins Group, the city also added, at some rinks, a “mobile skate lending library,” where equipment such as skates, helmets and skate aids could be accessed. The city said the program was available to over 1,400 residents.
The city said this season it approved 50 applications for “natural ice rinks.” The rinks are run by community groups, with support from the city for water service, snow shovels, signage and instruction on the building as well as maintenance of ice rinks.
The city said outdoor ice rinks started opening in late November and early December, with natural ice rinks usually operating between January and March, depending on the weather.
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