In many of our communities, volunteers create natural ice rinks on parkland with support from Parks staff. These community-run outdoor ice rinks offer a great back-to-nature skating experience. The following information will assist you with the guidelines for a safe and fun skating season.
Program conditions
Applications must meet program criteria and abide by program conditions.
- Parks & Open Space approves applications on a first-come basis annually.
- This is a community volunteer program.
- Materials, installation, and maintenance are the responsibility of the community volunteer group.
- Natural ice rinks are available for use by the general public for pleasure skating only at their own risk.
Program Criteria
Group must have a minimum of 4 members. One member will be designated as the main contact and one will be designated as an alternate contact.
Group members must be 18 years of age or older, due to physical demands and liability.
Start up |
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Dimensions and location |
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The Parks Operations Division approves rink dimensions and location within the Park. Ideally, two rink surfaces are best; one for pleasure skating and one for hockey. The rink size will depend on the available space at the site and will vary from one park location to another. The rink should be located below available lights. Not all locations currently have lights. No additional site works are to be completed by volunteers or third-party contractors. |
Safety and comfort |
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Supervision |
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It is suggested that the rinks be supervised. Supervision will ensure that every person has the opportunity to skate, whether for pleasure or playing hockey. |
Flooding |
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Snow Removal |
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If snow accumulates and ice chips and heavy use necessitate scrapping. It is your responsibility of the volunteer groups to clear the surface. |
Inspections |
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Natural ice rinks will be inspected by Parks staff bi-weekly. These visual inspections will confirm if an appropriate level of maintenance has been achieved. If additional maintenance is required, volunteers will respond to rectify any concerns promptly. Volunteers are to complete an Ice Inspection Log of the rinks daily and then submit them to Parks and Open Spaces weekly. Please indicate on the inspection log if the rink is open or closed. |
Forms for volunteer groups:
If there are any issues regarding rinks please contact the Parks Services by calling 613-967-0036 between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm or Report an Issue.