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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
 
wood stove at Dufferin
Contact

mail@cityrinks.ca

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Free Publication


A Manual for Running Compressor-Cooled Outdoor Rinks Really Well. Read more>>
 
 
General Links

City of Toronto Outdoor Skating Rink list

City Skating Brochures

posted September 29, 2007

Note: These are brochures for 2009-2010.

Do you have Rink Diary material to share?

If you have stories, pictures, rink condition updates, a family or community event, etc. to share about your local outdoor rink, send us the material at rinkstories@cityrinks.ca, and we'll post it in the rink diaries (subject to editing of course).

Local Weather

Toronto weather forecasts:

Grenadier Pond
Custodians:

Location

875 Dufferin St., across from the Dufferin Mall, south of Bloor. See Satellite Map.

For ice conditions, call the rink at 416-392-0913.

Double pad.

Schedules

City South District Skating Brochure

For rink schedule: Read more

See Holiday Schedule 2009-2010

Related Page

For up to date program information for Dufferin Rink, see the Dufferin Skating Page

City Councillor

The City Councillor for this rink is Councillor Giambrone

Dufferin Rink Profile

Rink change area: Rink house converted to "clubhouse" (open to all Toronto residents, visitors welcome too). Wood stove, games, toys, lots of lockers, snack bar with 25 cent slices of bread from park outdoor bread ovens, soup, mini-pizzas, organic hot chocolate, Fair Trade organic coffee. Friday night suppers with emphasis on families. Skate loans ($2). Live music at times. Rink house unavailable for changing during weekly organic farmers' market (Thursdays 1pm-8pm), but lots of benches set up outside. Groups can book to have campfires beside the rink house (no indoor birthday permits available). Call rink at 392-0913 for more information.

Staff: Happy to hear feedback and concerns - 416-392-0913, or e-mail staff@dufferinpark.ca

Maintenance: Zamboni. Ice is cleaned four times a day: Monday - Friday at 8 a.m., 3:15 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 8:55 p.m.; Saturday at 8 a.m., 1:30p.m., 5:15 p.m., 8:45 p.m.; Sunday at 8 a.m., (1:30 p.m. if busy), 4:45 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:45 p.m..

Public Skating and open shinny hockey:

Free Pleasure-skating: Available a total of 84 hours a week

Every day seven days a week, from 9 am to 9 pm., Supervised . (Occasional extra ice maintenance until 10am on Mondays and Fridays.)

Note that the pleasure-skating side is left open until 11p.m. every night, and after 9p.m. there is often good pond-style shinny hockey on that side with shinny nets.

Free Shinny hockey: Available a total of 70 1/2 hours a week. Sometimes too crowded. No one-puck rule. Most shinny players on ice at one time: 42. Most pucks on ice at one time: 7. Ridiculous. This tends to get better toward February. For shinny schedule click here. Age groups enforced: 12 and under with parent or caregiver (or novice adults); 13-17 (medium pace); 18 and over (high pace). New 9 & under age group on Saturdays only, 1:45pm-3:00pm. Youth program 9:00pm-11:00pm on Saturdays - get together a group of friends and book the ice for free! Please note that all other ice time is now booked at Dufferin. For permits at other rinks in the south district contact Carol Mendes at 416-392-0361.

Open women’s shinny: Tuesdays 9:00pm – 11:00pm

To inquire about shinny permits in the South District call Nellie Raposo DeMers at 416-392-0361.

Check out the shinny and pleasure skating schedules here.

Family day (February 15) rink and building are open 9am-9pm.

Comments about this rink: e-mail us at rinkissues@cityrinks.ca.

Views of the rink

A bit of Dufferin Rink history

A link to Cavan Young's NFB/CBC 2004 short film about Dufferin Rink: Citizen Z

posted September 2006


tiles found at restaurant demolition, 1996

Zamboni Cafe, 2007

From Jutta Mason: In 1992 Dufferin Grove Park's old outdoor artificial ice rink was torn down and a new one built. In 1994 a few of us began to work with the rink staff. It was an unpleasant experience for years, but eventually we were accepted and able to shape what happened there in the winter. The food was a big thing (cookies, oranges, then mini-pizzas) plus the juices, so we got two old fridges and put them in the garage to store our supplies. Gradually the 'gangsters' who hung out there evolved out of the worst of their behaviours, and began to relax a bit, joining the rest of the community. Read More >>

Rink Diary 2009 - 2010

Chris Parker and friends: making snow lanterns on the coldest night of the year, using the zamboni snow at Dufferin Rink (January 30)


snow lanterns

working at minus 19 degrees

midnight lanterns
 
Monday February 1, 2010

High minus 4, low minus 10

Ice maintenance: 9am s/f both, ,11:45am scrape, 3:15pm scrape, 7pm scrape, 8:55 s/f

Tuesday February 2, 2010

High minus 2, low minus 9.

Ice maintenance: 9ams/f both, 45am scrape both, 3:15pm scrape both 5:30pm scrape both (extra), 7pm scrape both, 8pm scrape both (extra), 9pm scrape both, operator stayed on site at night to be in touch with staff about extra scrapes.

 
Wednesday February 3, 2010

High minus 3, low minus 8. light flurries till afternoon

Ice maintenance: Pre 9.30 am scrape, 11:45 scrape, 3pm scrape, 7 pm scrape, 8.55 scrape

Thursday February 4, 2010

High 0, low minus 10.

Ice maintenance: Pre 9am scrape and flood, 11.45 scrape, 3pm scrape, 7 pm scrape, 8.55 scrape and flood

Friday February 5, 2010

High 0, low minus 7.

Ice maintenance: am scrape, 11:45 scrape, 3:15 scrape, 6.40 scrape and flood of hockey side and scrape only of pleasure side, 8:55 scrape and flood

Saturday February 6, 2010

High minus 6, low minus 12.

Ice maintenance: 8am scrape, 9:30am s/f both sides, 11:45am s/f hockey side, scrape pleasure side, 2:45pm s/f hockey side, scrape pleasure side, 5:30pm s/f hockey side, scrape pleasure side, 8:55pm s/f hockey side, scrape pleasure side. Operator was great all day, 100% thinking about how to give good ice to tournament and accommodating to changes in the schedule

Sunday February 7, 2010

High minus 2, low minus 12.

Ice maintenance: 9am scrape, 5pm scrape, 8pm scrape and flood Pretty busy between 1-3pm but quieter around 4pm.

Monday February 8, 2010

Ice maintenance: 9am scrape, 11:45 scrape, 3:15 scrape, 7:15 scrape, 8:55 scrape and flood

Numbers samples 11:15am: 2 shinny players, 17 pleasure-skaters.
4:50pm: 11 shinny players 16 pleasure-skaters (5 with helmets), 14 inside. 6:15: 14 shinny players (7 with helmets), 9 pleasure-skaters (4 with helmets), 3 inside.
8pm: 22 shinny players, 3 adult, 5 pleasure-skaters (1 with helmet), 7 inside, permit 15 players.

Read More >>

Earlier Diary

 
To see the (2007-2008) report card, click here
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Content last modified on February 08, 2010, at 10:03 PM EST