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posted November 18, 2018

Harbourfront's Natrel Rink opened on Nov.17.

The City of Toronto outdoor rinks will open in two stages: 37 rinks will open Saturday November 24, 12 more on Saturday Dec.1. The city's outdoor rinks information website is usually accurate in good weather, but otherwise, not so much.

Three rinks are missing: Queensway is still listed as "closed for the season," but the individual rink page shows it opening on Dec.1. McGowan is listed as "delayed," but the information on the individual page is from last season. College Park trail looks like it's ready to open but it does not appear on the rinks list.

The outdoor rink at Mississauga City Hall has a webcam -- click on their "live video stream" to check on ice conditions.

posted November 09, 2018

The front page of the city's outdoor rinks information website was stuck at last season until Nov.9, but the individual rink pages had this year's schedule a bit earlier.

March 2018:

On the last day of the extended season, only two outdoor rinks were even slightly skateable by the afternoon. But all the other extended-season rinks still had their compressors running all day, under a high March sun of +8. The city is throwing money out the window every March.

- The outdoor rinks are now closed for the season. Rink open/closed information was available on the city's outdoor rinks website. To find out how accurate it was, the record of postings is here.

- Blog: This winter, people still couldn't telephone their neighbourhood rink to check if it was slushy from late-winter sun or if it had been cleared after a snowfall -- or if the ice was covered with water. Find out why

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Older rink reports:

March 17, 2018

- When the March sun shines, it takes down most rinks every afternoon and many evenings. But that's not the only problem. Even when the clouds protect the ice, there are so few skaters! By March, most people are done with winter. How much does it cost to keep all those rinks open for so few people?

- keeping 39 outdoor rinks open into mid-March makes no sense, even when it's not warm out. Our summary of the science is here. (It was done 10 years ago by a Dufferin Rink staff member, now a scientist at Rutgers University.)

- 39 of the city's outdoor rinks are scheduled to stay open until March 18. The Bentway Rink has closed for the season. Harbourfront's Natrel Rink says it's closing on March 9.

posted Feb.19, 2018

- Family Day events on Monday Feb.19: at Harbourfront, the rink at the Bentway, Regent Rink, Sorauren Rink -- and probably some others.

- on this snowy Saturday, the city's rink status reports are unreliable. Find out why
- February is the month for rink events: there's a community skate day at Morningside Park natural ice rink today, Feb.10, with free skate loans. There are Family Day events on Monday Feb.19 at Harbourfront, the rink at the Bentway, Regent Rink maybe at Campbell Rink -- and probably some others.
- from Pearen Park: the joys and sorrows of making natural ice rinks
- Windy Bentway: lots of skaters, gas fires to warm up by
- Summerlea Rink opened for the season on Jan.23. But beginning on Jan.27, it was again listed as closed due to a second water main break. On Jan.30 it returned to the "open" list.
- you can't call any outdoor rinks to ask if their snow has been cleared off. Find out why

- Westgrove Rink opened for the season on Jan.23, 2018, and the kids are back
- Skate-lending issues at Regent Rink: gentrification and turf struggles

- Ontario Place rink: beautiful lighting, needs more skaters
- Radio ads booming out from Nathan Phillips rink all over the square -- why? read more
- Skate lending prospects at Regent Rink: CELOS has donated our loan collection to Friends of Regent Park -- read more.

Rink Information record

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Content last modified on November 18, 2018, at 02:41 PM EST