Rink change area: A new field house was built in 2010 at a cost of $1.54 million. There are changerooms but they are mainly locked.

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Comments about this rink: e-mail us at [email protected].

2022 -2023

Jan.19, 2023. from S.I.

Went to the Queensway Rink at around 11:30am. Two skaters were just leaving/no one else was at the rink. There was a shinny time listed online however there were no nets on the ice. The inside change room was open. The rink itself was quite bumpy in parts, caused by the Zamboni. It sounded like a helicopter when skating across certain sections. Zamboni operator came out and did a flood as we were leaving (around 12:30pm).

The indoor changeroom is quite nice, lots of windows/light

Jan.14, 2023

The skate lending collection was scheduled to pop up here today, between 1 and 7.30. At 2.30 there were not many people skating, and the changeroom had only a few non-skaters sitting on the benches. A table was set up with two rec staff sitting at it and the bags of skaters piles up in a sunny corner beside them. No signs advertising the pop-up, though. After about 20 minutes, two people came with only one pair of skates between them, so they borrowed a second pair. They were told they could just give their first name or even only initials, no I.D. needed, and that there was no fee.

A third rec staff person came in, and when asked about the absence of signs, said that since this was a partnership, Parks and Rec was not allowed to put up signs -- all signage was the responsibility of the donor (Desjardins Insurance). The other staff said they were still not using the van provided by the donor to transport the skates to the different pop-up locations, because the logo has not been painted on the side yet.

After another five minutes, more six people came in to borrow skates, and several young guys came to return theirs. They said they were not good skaters and didn't have their own, but had looked on the toronto.ca website and come across the skate lending link.

Rink diaries from earlier years

2021 - 2022

This rink is new and the days are short with very week sun -- but it's often been closed. A mystery -- at this time of year the ice should be fine. What's the problem? The rink is only two years old -- is there a problem with the ice-making plant?

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2020 - 2021

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.

Nov.28, 2020

Opened for the season

2019 - 2020

No reports

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2018 - 2019

Feb.9, 2019: official opening

Jan.29, 2019

The rink has been marked as open since Jan.12 and then it was listed as "snow removal in progress" (with over 25 cm of snow). At noon today it was again listed as open.

Jan.17, 2019

From D.Howey: The new ice trail is quite short, probably less than half the length of Colonol Sam Smith but they've built it so that you could extend your skate by going through two sets of gates onto the shinny rink surface though the gates were locked. The curves are quite tight so it was actually a good workout. They have installed new LED lights around the rink so it is probably well lit in the evening. They are also still finishing up a few details on the change rooms but they are bright and airy. The rink house was open and there were two workers relaying the rubber mats. Lots of parking and a new condo going up soon between the lot and the Queensway. The shinny rink was open and a guy came while I was there to practice shooting on the one net. There was also one pint sized skater who came while I was there.

Jan.12, 2018

At 9 a.m. the city's rinks web page mystifyingly reports this rink as already open -- from Dec.1, 2018 to Feb.24, 2019, but then as being still "under construction." Meanwhile, the councillor's newsletter says the trail opens today. No word about the hockey pad.

By noon the city's web page was changed to "open," although it still claimed the rink season as having started on Dec.1.

From Councillor Grimes' newsletter:

Nov.27,2018

It looks like there may still be lots to do, hard to tell and no signs to explain. The bad news is that the city's website says the opening has been postponed until January 2019. The good news is that there are actually workers doing things, not like at some of the other "delayed opening" rinks which seem to have no one.

Nov.23, 2018

Earlier today this rink was listed as opening by Dec.15. By the afternoon that estimate was changed to January 2019.

Nov.21 2018

Until a few days ago, this rink was still listed as "closed for the season." But now it's listed as "delayed opening," no date given. The schedule has been showing a Dec.1 2018 opening all along.

June 5, 2018: construction moving along

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2017 - 2018

Here is the March 2017 link for work description for bidders who want the contract to rebuild Queensway Rink. Includes destruction of older rink building and rink pad, replacing with rink pad and skating trail plus parking lot and tennis courts -- all for $1.5 million.

Nov.24, 2017

Thedre's some machinery but no workers. Maybe a couple of guys looking at blueprints, but then they disappear inside the rink building. The former rink buildings has been demolished, but otherwise there's not much sign of work in progress.

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2016 - 2017

This rink is listed as closed for the entire 2016/2017 skating season. A city capital projects list said this rink would be under construction, but the city website simply lists it as closed for the whole upcoming rink season.

Oct.25, 2016

There's no sign of construction, nor any sign on the fence or the building saying the rink will not open this year. The only sign of life is park staff vehicles parked outside, for them to have their lunch break inside the locked building.

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2015 - 2016

Feb.3, 2016

The rink has no ice, just concrete. Obviously the staff never tried again to make ice. Even so, there are "ice dangerous" signs on the fence. No explanation about the compressors being broken, when they will be replaced, etc. The city website says every day that Queensway Rink is closed because of "ice conditions."

Jan.25, 2016

The rink was marked as open in the morning but closed again by afternoon.

Jan.23, 2016

This rink began to be listed as open yesterday and this morning, but by 2.30 pm it was closed again. The ice had skate marks on it and had obviously been used. It looked like it could have continued to be used. Instead, danger signs (one from High Park's Grenadier Pond) were stuck on the fence and the gate was locked.

It's hard to avoid the conclusion that even though the city's outdoor rink website claims the broken-down rinks will be run as natural ice rinks when weather allows, the staff just don't feel like making the effort. So at the same time as Grenadier Pond has thick ice, same at Toronto Island, same in numerous neighbour-run natural ice rinks across the city, Riverdale Rink and Queensway continue to be closed to skaters. Yet they've got wide-gauge hoses and plentiful water, well-paid staff, and zambonis.

Jan.20, 2016

For several days, the city's outdoor rink website has listed Queensway as closed due to "ice conditions." Since it never opened at all this season, that was a clue that the city was starting to flood it as a natural ice rink. And indeed it had ice on it, but very rough ice -- not skateable, just as the website says. Too bad it's taking so long -- four other natural ice rinks on grass that we saw today were already up and running (i.e. without the benefit of a concrete pad and city staff for flooding). However, it looks like Queensway will probably be ready to open by the weekend. Also it sounds as though they will finally be getting their new equipment, later this year, in time for next rink season.

Dec.10 2015

This rink is odd, since the new rink/park clubhouse was finished in 2010, but the new compressors never came. The old ones are freon and had trouble last year. This year they didn't start up at all.

The city's website had the rink listed as open before the season began, but now the website says the rink will run as a natural ice rink only.

There is no sign up anywhere at the rink telling about what's wrong, what the plans are, etc. There's just a sleek modern building, all locked up, with some graffiti on the bathroom doors.

See Diaries tab

Views of the rink

Shinny game: Sunday Feb 24, 2008 Click on picture to enlarge it.	Rink schedule Click on picture to enlarge it.
The rink viewed through the chainlink fence Click on picture to enlarge it.	The locked rinkhouse Click on picture to enlarge it.

There is no schedule on the City website

From The City of Toronto Website 2014-15

For the skating schedule, go to Queensway, then click on Skating.

Rink Diary

2022 -2023

Jan.19, 2023. from S.I.

Went to the Queensway Rink at around 11:30am. Two skaters were just leaving/no one else was at the rink. There was a shinny time listed online however there were no nets on the ice. The inside change room was open. The rink itself was quite bumpy in parts, caused by the Zamboni. It sounded like a helicopter when skating across certain sections. Zamboni operator came out and did a flood as we were leaving (around 12:30pm).

The indoor changeroom is quite nice, lots of windows/light

Jan.14, 2023

The skate lending collection was scheduled to pop up here today, between 1 and 7.30. At 2.30 there were not many people skating, and the changeroom had only a few non-skaters sitting on the benches. A table was set up with two rec staff sitting at it and the bags of skaters piles up in a sunny corner beside them. No signs advertising the pop-up, though. After about 20 minutes, two people came with only one pair of skates between them, so they borrowed a second pair. They were told they could just give their first name or even only initials, no I.D. needed, and that there was no fee.

A third rec staff person came in, and when asked about the absence of signs, said that since this was a partnership, Parks and Rec was not allowed to put up signs -- all signage was the responsibility of the donor (Desjardins Insurance). The other staff said they were still not using the van provided by the donor to transport the skates to the different pop-up locations, because the logo has not been painted on the side yet.

After another five minutes, more six people came in to borrow skates, and several young guys came to return theirs. They said they were not good skaters and didn't have their own, but had looked on the toronto.ca website and come across the skate lending link.

Rink diaries from earlier years

2021 - 2022

This rink is new and the days are short with very week sun -- but it's often been closed. A mystery -- at this time of year the ice should be fine. What's the problem? The rink is only two years old -- is there a problem with the ice-making plant?

---

2020 - 2021

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.

Nov.28, 2020

Opened for the season

2019 - 2020

No reports

---

2018 - 2019

Feb.9, 2019: official opening

Jan.29, 2019

The rink has been marked as open since Jan.12 and then it was listed as "snow removal in progress" (with over 25 cm of snow). At noon today it was again listed as open.

Jan.17, 2019

From D.Howey: The new ice trail is quite short, probably less than half the length of Colonol Sam Smith but they've built it so that you could extend your skate by going through two sets of gates onto the shinny rink surface though the gates were locked. The curves are quite tight so it was actually a good workout. They have installed new LED lights around the rink so it is probably well lit in the evening. They are also still finishing up a few details on the change rooms but they are bright and airy. The rink house was open and there were two workers relaying the rubber mats. Lots of parking and a new condo going up soon between the lot and the Queensway. The shinny rink was open and a guy came while I was there to practice shooting on the one net. There was also one pint sized skater who came while I was there.

Jan.12, 2018

At 9 a.m. the city's rinks web page mystifyingly reports this rink as already open -- from Dec.1, 2018 to Feb.24, 2019, but then as being still "under construction." Meanwhile, the councillor's newsletter says the trail opens today. No word about the hockey pad.

By noon the city's web page was changed to "open," although it still claimed the rink season as having started on Dec.1.

From Councillor Grimes' newsletter:

Nov.27,2018

It looks like there may still be lots to do, hard to tell and no signs to explain. The bad news is that the city's website says the opening has been postponed until January 2019. The good news is that there are actually workers doing things, not like at some of the other "delayed opening" rinks which seem to have no one.

Nov.23, 2018

Earlier today this rink was listed as opening by Dec.15. By the afternoon that estimate was changed to January 2019.

Nov.21 2018

Until a few days ago, this rink was still listed as "closed for the season." But now it's listed as "delayed opening," no date given. The schedule has been showing a Dec.1 2018 opening all along.

June 5, 2018: construction moving along

---

2017 - 2018

Here is the March 2017 link for work description for bidders who want the contract to rebuild Queensway Rink. Includes destruction of older rink building and rink pad, replacing with rink pad and skating trail plus parking lot and tennis courts -- all for $1.5 million.

Nov.24, 2017

Thedre's some machinery but no workers. Maybe a couple of guys looking at blueprints, but then they disappear inside the rink building. The former rink buildings has been demolished, but otherwise there's not much sign of work in progress.

---

---

2016 - 2017

This rink is listed as closed for the entire 2016/2017 skating season. A city capital projects list said this rink would be under construction, but the city website simply lists it as closed for the whole upcoming rink season.

Oct.25, 2016

There's no sign of construction, nor any sign on the fence or the building saying the rink will not open this year. The only sign of life is park staff vehicles parked outside, for them to have their lunch break inside the locked building.

---

2015 - 2016

Feb.3, 2016

The rink has no ice, just concrete. Obviously the staff never tried again to make ice. Even so, there are "ice dangerous" signs on the fence. No explanation about the compressors being broken, when they will be replaced, etc. The city website says every day that Queensway Rink is closed because of "ice conditions."

Jan.25, 2016

The rink was marked as open in the morning but closed again by afternoon.

Jan.23, 2016

This rink began to be listed as open yesterday and this morning, but by 2.30 pm it was closed again. The ice had skate marks on it and had obviously been used. It looked like it could have continued to be used. Instead, danger signs (one from High Park's Grenadier Pond) were stuck on the fence and the gate was locked.

It's hard to avoid the conclusion that even though the city's outdoor rink website claims the broken-down rinks will be run as natural ice rinks when weather allows, the staff just don't feel like making the effort. So at the same time as Grenadier Pond has thick ice, same at Toronto Island, same in numerous neighbour-run natural ice rinks across the city, Riverdale Rink and Queensway continue to be closed to skaters. Yet they've got wide-gauge hoses and plentiful water, well-paid staff, and zambonis.

Jan.20, 2016

For several days, the city's outdoor rink website has listed Queensway as closed due to "ice conditions." Since it never opened at all this season, that was a clue that the city was starting to flood it as a natural ice rink. And indeed it had ice on it, but very rough ice -- not skateable, just as the website says. Too bad it's taking so long -- four other natural ice rinks on grass that we saw today were already up and running (i.e. without the benefit of a concrete pad and city staff for flooding). However, it looks like Queensway will probably be ready to open by the weekend. Also it sounds as though they will finally be getting their new equipment, later this year, in time for next rink season.

Dec.10 2015

This rink is odd, since the new rink/park clubhouse was finished in 2010, but the new compressors never came. The old ones are freon and had trouble last year. This year they didn't start up at all.

The city's website had the rink listed as open before the season began, but now the website says the rink will run as a natural ice rink only.

There is no sign up anywhere at the rink telling about what's wrong, what the plans are, etc. There's just a sleek modern building, all locked up, with some graffiti on the bathroom doors.

read more

See also:

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Diary 2009 - 2010, Diary 2008-2009, RinkDiary2007-2008