For better use and better management. The UNOFFICIAL Website of Toronto's Outdoor Skating Rinks
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Welcome to The Unofficial Website of Toronto's Outdoor Skating Rinks
There's nothing like outdoor skating
A project of CELOS (*)
Rink change area: The changeroom is right next to the ice surface andi its floor-to-ceiling windows allow a clear view of the skaters. The floor is covered in rubber. The changeroom and washrooms are clean. The washrooms have rubber floors.
Staff: Mostly just the zamboni driver, who can sometimes be found way back in the control room, if you shout. There are some supervised public skating times when two rink guards are present (usually inside the building) but most of the time the skaters are left to skate on their own. This seems to work very well.
Maintenance: Good. There are 14 ice maintenance shifts a week.
Comments about this rink: e-mail us at [email protected].
long rink with a little bridge going over it
shinny players at one end
2022 - 2023
From March to December 2022, the building in the park will be closed to the public as it undergoes improvements to the change rooms, washrooms, mechanical, electrical and refrigeration systems, roof, exterior building and the installation of an elevator. Visit the project webpage for more information.
Rink diaries from earlier years:
2021 - 2022
Nov.27, 2021
Opened for the season
Rink diaries from earlier years:
2020 - 2021
Nov.28, 2020
Opened for the season
COVID-RELATED RESTRICTIONS: To find out how to book a skating time, go to the city's outdoor rinks web page.
All shinny hockey has been removed except for Greenwood (and only children and youth are allowed there). The city's opening rules are described here and our rinks blog is here.
2019 - 2020
No reports
2018 - 2019
Jan.29, 2019
The rink has been marked as open until yesterday and then it was listed as "snow removal in progress" (with over 25 cm of snow). At 4 p.m. it was again listed as open.
Nov.24, 2018
This rink was scheduled to open today but remained listed as closed all day.
2017 - 2018
2016 - 2017
Dec.14, 2016
Listed as closed for "mechanical issues with zamboni."
Dec.1, 2016
Since its scheduled opening on Nov.26, this rink has been mainly listed as open -- unlike most of the other North Toronto rinks. So that shows that the weather is not different in Toronto than elsewhere in the city -- rinks can have ice in North Toronto as well.
2015 - 2016
March 10, 2016
This rink was scheduled to stay open until March 20, but it closed for the season on March 10.
2014 - 2015
A problem with the HOLIDAY HOURS: it appears on the city's rink information website/311 that almost all of the city's rinks will have their changerooms/washrooms locked on the three main holidays: Christmas Day, Boxing Day (yes!), and New Year's Day. You can skate on most of the rinks but you can't get your kids out of the cold to change their skates and you can't take them to the washroom. This is true for Ledbury, and even worse: the city's schedule says this rink will be closed on two other school holidays: Dec.24 and again on Dec.31.
What's the message here -- "you should be drinking, not skating" -- ?
The rink opened Nov.29.
Rink Diary 2012-2013
See also: Editor's and Rink Users' blog
2011 - 2012
Saturday Dec.3 2011
At 10 a.m. this rink had excellent ice. Two kids out on the ice with shinny equipment, two more changing inside the change room. There was no "opening date" sign anywhere, but the bulletin board did have other hand-lettered, useful signs.
rink change room "lobby" with bulletin board
where to get skates sharpened
special shinny hockey hours
last year's cityrinks.ca sign
The metal City of Toronto sign says no shinny, ever, but the local sign reflects actual usage, and compromise.
Tuesday Dec.20 2011
From rink user Raf Lewis:
shinny hockey at one end
the change room
bridge to get to the rink change room
This long, narrow rink was built for pleasure-skating, but by tacit consent, one end of the rink is often used for kids' shinny hockey. The change room is dramatic in its architecture, as are most of the North York rinks.
2010 - 2011
December 9th, 2010
C.Y., 6:50pm: Ledbury was extremely dark! I didn't think there would be anyone there as I approached and yet there were at least 4-6 people out skating at any given time. The changeroom area is a great set-up with windows and benches for watching the rink and wall-to-wall mats. There were about 8 people in the changeroom just hanging out. Maybe two of the skaters had helmets. The woman I chatted with had already phoned Parks and Rec about the lights. She said that the zamboni driver could barely see when he had come out earlier. The schedule on the wall said it was pleasure skating from 9am to 9pm but there were several boys with hockey sticks and pucks on the ice.
There was a spot for displaying pamphlets but nothing was there on skating or other recreational activities.
2009 - 2010
Dec.5 2009
High 1, low -5
A phone call to find out if the rink is open goes to a message machine. I leave a message, and a few hours later a very nice voice leaves the message that Ledbury will not be open until Monday.
2008-2009
Friday December 12 2008
Aty 2.15 the rink had 7 shinny hockey players at one end, three pleasure skaters, and a large family of eight more skaters just arriving in the rink change house. The rink is so long that the shinny hockey players and the other skaters seem to be able to share the ice without bothering one another. The rink change area is clean and inviting, with lots of benches and a great view of the ice.
long rink with a little bridge going over it
shinny players at one end
December 29 2008
Recently we were invited to play shinny at Ledbury with 2 other families and when we arrived at 2pm and put on equipment the zamboni driver insisted there was no shinny until 4pm. On the parks website at Ledbury park there is even a picture and a description of part of the ice for pleasure and part for shinny and how well this works.
How do these seemingly arbitrary decisions about ice usage get made? How is it that these other two families were playing shinny the day before but not allowed to the day we all arranged to meet??
I have tried calling the number on the website (Elvie @ 416 395 6004) but she is on holiday! why would she be on holiday at the height of her busy time? Her voice mail left two other numbers - no one is answering even though it is Monday! Where is a proper schedule?
We are trying to keep three young boys busy outdoors over the holidays and your lack of coordination and community communication is startling and extremely frustrating.
2007 - 2008
Monday December 10, 2007
A large crowd of parents and children gathered at the rink tonight to celebrate Chanukah on Ice, - an event organized by the Jewish group, Chabad on the Avenue. The focal point of the evening was the lighting of a menorah made of ice. After the ceremony, Men on Ice performed some figure skating routines featuring Robin Hood and men dressed in orange ballet tutus. There was a DJ playing rock and disco music as well as some Jewish songs. For the children there was a raffle and a game of guessing how many coins there are in a jar. The rink-side barbecue had a lot of customers. The mood was generally upbeat. People seemed happy to be there, though some of the children didn't like having to get off the ice for the performance. As soon as the Men on Ice show was over, young hockey players were jumping back on the ice. There was, however, a safety issue. The menorah's electrical cord was left exposed on the ice and people were skating over it. No city employees were visible, though they might have been hard to spot in the throng.
diary entry by MM
An eager crowd waits for the menorah to be lit
People gather around the rinkside barbecue
The changeroom is on the edge of the ice
Skating around the menorah
Sunday December 9, 2007
10:45am Temperature: High 0 celsius, Low - -3 celsius. The rink is located in a park on the west side of Ledbury Street, just north of Fairlawn Ave. (See map.) The rink is laid out like a river. It's a long rectangle set in an artificial gully with steep banks on either side. The path through the park takes you to a bridge that crosses over the ice surface. The changeroom is at the south end of the rink near the bridge. It has floor-to-ceiling plexiglass windows that look out over the ice surface. It is rather small. There are benches. The floor has a rubber surface that extends into the washrooms. The day we visit there are shinny players on the ice, fathers and sons. There are thirty children, mostly boys, on the ice, but it's hard to keep count because players keep arriving. We speak to a man on the bridge who tells us his 12-year-old son skates here. He says it is a safe rink. He feels comfortable leaving his son here alone. He says "kids" play here all night "until they can't see any more."
See Diaries tab
Views of the Rink
long rink with a little bridge going over it
shinny players at one end
Rink Diary
2022 - 2023
From March to December 2022, the building in the park will be closed to the public as it undergoes improvements to the change rooms, washrooms, mechanical, electrical and refrigeration systems, roof, exterior building and the installation of an elevator. Visit the project webpage for more information.
Rink diaries from earlier years:
2021 - 2022
Nov.27, 2021
Opened for the season
Rink diaries from earlier years:
2020 - 2021
Nov.28, 2020
Opened for the season
COVID-RELATED RESTRICTIONS: To find out how to book a skating time, go to the city's outdoor rinks web page.
All shinny hockey has been removed except for Greenwood (and only children and youth are allowed there). The city's opening rules are described here and our rinks blog is here.
2019 - 2020
No reports
2018 - 2019
Jan.29, 2019
The rink has been marked as open until yesterday and then it was listed as "snow removal in progress" (with over 25 cm of snow). At 4 p.m. it was again listed as open.
Nov.24, 2018
This rink was scheduled to open today but remained listed as closed all day.
2017 - 2018
2016 - 2017
Dec.14, 2016
Listed as closed for "mechanical issues with zamboni."
Dec.1, 2016
Since its scheduled opening on Nov.26, this rink has been mainly listed as open -- unlike most of the other North Toronto rinks. So that shows that the weather is not different in Toronto than elsewhere in the city -- rinks can have ice in North Toronto as well.
2015 - 2016
March 10, 2016
This rink was scheduled to stay open until March 20, but it closed for the season on March 10.
2014 - 2015
A problem with the HOLIDAY HOURS: it appears on the city's rink information website/311 that almost all of the city's rinks will have their changerooms/washrooms locked on the three main holidays: Christmas Day, Boxing Day (yes!), and New Year's Day. You can skate on most of the rinks but you can't get your kids out of the cold to change their skates and you can't take them to the washroom. This is true for Ledbury, and even worse: the city's schedule says this rink will be closed on two other school holidays: Dec.24 and again on Dec.31.
What's the message here -- "you should be drinking, not skating" -- ?
The rink opened Nov.29.
Rink Diary 2012-2013
See also: Editor's and Rink Users' blog
2011 - 2012
Saturday Dec.3 2011
At 10 a.m. this rink had excellent ice. Two kids out on the ice with shinny equipment, two more changing inside the change room. There was no "opening date" sign anywhere, but the bulletin board did have other hand-lettered, useful signs.
rink change room "lobby" with bulletin board
where to get skates sharpened
special shinny hockey hours
last year's cityrinks.ca sign
The metal City of Toronto sign says no shinny, ever, but the local sign reflects actual usage, and compromise.
Tuesday Dec.20 2011
From rink user Raf Lewis:
shinny hockey at one end
the change room
bridge to get to the rink change room
This long, narrow rink was built for pleasure-skating, but by tacit consent, one end of the rink is often used for kids' shinny hockey. The change room is dramatic in its architecture, as are most of the North York rinks.
2010 - 2011
December 9th, 2010
C.Y., 6:50pm: Ledbury was extremely dark! I didn't think there would be anyone there as I approached and yet there were at least 4-6 people out skating at any given time. The changeroom area is a great set-up with windows and benches for watching the rink and wall-to-wall mats. There were about 8 people in the changeroom just hanging out. Maybe two of the skaters had helmets. The woman I chatted with had already phoned Parks and Rec about the lights. She said that the zamboni driver could barely see when he had come out earlier. The schedule on the wall said it was pleasure skating from 9am to 9pm but there were several boys with hockey sticks and pucks on the ice.
There was a spot for displaying pamphlets but nothing was there on skating or other recreational activities.
2009 - 2010
Dec.5 2009
High 1, low -5
A phone call to find out if the rink is open goes to a message machine. I leave a message, and a few hours later a very nice voice leaves the message that Ledbury will not be open until Monday.
2008-2009
Friday December 12 2008
Aty 2.15 the rink had 7 shinny hockey players at one end, three pleasure skaters, and a large family of eight more skaters just arriving in the rink change house. The rink is so long that the shinny hockey players and the other skaters seem to be able to share the ice without bothering one another. The rink change area is clean and inviting, with lots of benches and a great view of the ice.
long rink with a little bridge going over it
shinny players at one end
December 29 2008
Letter from Ledbury Rink:
Recently we were invited to play shinny at Ledbury with 2 other families and when we arrived at 2pm and put on equipment the zamboni driver insisted there was no shinny until 4pm. On the parks website at Ledbury park there is even a picture and a description of part of the ice for pleasure and part for shinny and how well this works.
How do these seemingly arbitrary decisions about ice usage get made? How is it that these other two families were playing shinny the day before but not allowed to the day we all arranged to meet??
I have tried calling the number on the website (Elvie @ 416 395 6004) but she is on holiday! why would she be on holiday at the height of her busy time? Her voice mail left two other numbers - no one is answering even though it is Monday! Where is a proper schedule?
We are trying to keep three young boys busy outdoors over the holidays and your lack of coordination and community communication is startling and extremely frustrating.
2007 - 2008
Monday December 10, 2007
A large crowd of parents and children gathered at the rink tonight to celebrate Chanukah on Ice, - an event organized by the Jewish group, Chabad on the Avenue. The focal point of the evening was the lighting of a menorah made of ice. After the ceremony, Men on Ice performed some figure skating routines featuring Robin Hood and men dressed in orange ballet tutus. There was a DJ playing rock and disco music as well as some Jewish songs. For the children there was a raffle and a game of guessing how many coins there are in a jar. The rink-side barbecue had a lot of customers. The mood was generally upbeat. People seemed happy to be there, though some of the children didn't like having to get off the ice for the performance. As soon as the Men on Ice show was over, young hockey players were jumping back on the ice. There was, however, a safety issue. The menorah's electrical cord was left exposed on the ice and people were skating over it. No city employees were visible, though they might have been hard to spot in the throng.
diary entry by MM
An eager crowd waits for the menorah to be lit
People gather around the rinkside barbecue
The changeroom is on the edge of the ice
Skating around the menorah
Sunday December 9, 2007
10:45am Temperature: High 0 celsius, Low - -3 celsius. The rink is located in a park on the west side of Ledbury Street, just north of Fairlawn Ave. (See map.) The rink is laid out like a river. It's a long rectangle set in an artificial gully with steep banks on either side. The path through the park takes you to a bridge that crosses over the ice surface. The changeroom is at the south end of the rink near the bridge. It has floor-to-ceiling plexiglass windows that look out over the ice surface. It is rather small. There are benches. The floor has a rubber surface that extends into the washrooms. The day we visit there are shinny players on the ice, fathers and sons. There are thirty children, mostly boys, on the ice, but it's hard to keep count because players keep arriving. We speak to a man on the bridge who tells us his 12-year-old son skates here. He says it is a safe rink. He feels comfortable leaving his son here alone. He says "kids" play here all night "until they can't see any more."
To see the (2007-2008) report card, click here
Content last modified on November 26, 2022, at 06:17 PM EST