This rink is in the former village of Swansea, which only joined Toronto in 1967. The rink is tucked into Rennie Park, right at the southern end of Runnymede Road. It has a hockey pad and a pleasure-skating pad that's built right around a tree. The pleasure-skating side has no fence around it, making moonlight skating at four a.m. a possibility.

Rink change area: The David H. Williams Clubhouse. Large and bright, two-story with many team changerooms and an observation room. Small snack bar, used on Thursday nights and on Saturdays -- menu: chips, chocolate bars, popcorn, candy. Phone: 416-392-1103 or 416-392-0392.

Rennie Park Pleasure Skating

Skate around the tree

Rink Diary

2022 -2023

Feb.7, 2023

The city's website says that the leisure skating pad (an oval trail) is closed because of "ice conditions."

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Rink diaries from earlier years

2021 -2022

Nov.27, 2021

Opened for the season

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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

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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 1 p.m. it was again listed as open.

Jan.21, 2019

This rink is one of two in the city listed as "snow covered, ongoing snow maintenance." The snow was two days ago, on Saturday.

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2017 - 2018

Dec.27, 2017, from Bradley Foster

The rink has got a beautiful ice surface. On Sundays they open up the hockey rink for pleasure skating as they do on many other rinks.

Nov.24, 2017

For the past two years, this rink has kept the skating trail un-iced for the first 1 -2 weeks of the skating season. This year it's been iced -- better!

Inside the huge observation gallery, a woman is going through boxes of new hockey jerseys. She says the gilrs' hockey program will begin tomorrow, and this it includes 600 girls.

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2016 - 2017

Nov.27, 2016

The parking lot was full even though the rink was fairly empty. Some kids' hockey had just ended and a learn-to-skate lesson had taken over on the hockey pad.

Nov.23, 2016

At 11.15, there was a thin layer of ice on both rinks, and a CIMCO truck parked outside. Maybe this year they won't wait almost two weeks to open the pleasure-skating side. That would be progress.

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2015 - 2016

March 12, 2016

The rink is closed for the season, although it was scheduled to stay open until March 20.

March 11, 2016

This rink is listed as having bad ice on its pleasure-skating side, but open on the hockey side.

March 9, 2016

At noon, the rink was officially open but there were no skaters. Apparently there are nine inches of ice on this rink, so there was no sign of thin spots. But why go skating when spring seems to be here, with 10 celsius and a rink full of water?

March 2, 2016

This rink had its boards replaced with aluminum boards, with great fanfare, through a "partnership agreement" with Home Depot and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in 2005; also got a scoreboard and a sound system. A Parks equipment document seems to say the boards are scheduled to be replaced again this year.

Feb.4 2016

At 8 p.m., after a day when the temperature went up to 15 celsius and there was intermittent sun, the ice had firmed up completely and the rink guard said it was the best it had been all season. There was a fast hockey game with referees on the hockey pad, and lots of pleasure-skaters on the trail.

Jan.1, 2016

The city's website showed a blank for New Year's Day, which would normally mean everything was closed, but actually everything was open and there were three staff -- two rink guards and a zamboni driver.The staff said there had been the usual New Year's Eve skating party last night (New Year's Eve) and therefore the rink was open until 10. That didn't appear on the city's web schedule either. The staff said there was a big crowd.

Dec.29, 2015

All the city's outdoor rinks were closed today until later afternoon, because of the heavy, extremely wet snow. Rennie was in the first group of three to re-open, at 3 pm.

Dec.27, 2015

All of the rinks were closed over Christmas even though the ice was mostly fine, this one too. It reopened on Boxing Day.

Dec.19, 2015

As of this morning, the city's outdoor rinks website no longer says that the pleasure-skating side is closed.

Dec.14 2015, 11 a.m.

A warm day, already 11 celsius. The hockey side is fine, the pleasure-skating ice is non-existent -- turned off. I ask the zamboni driver if he knows that Rennie was listed as closed all weekend. He says, how should he know, he doesn't work on weekends. I say, don't your colleagues talk to you? He grins, shakes his head. I ask, do you know when you'll start making ice on the pleasure-skating pad? He grins again, turns and goes inside. Not giving any information seems to cause him considerable enjoyment.

While I watch the skaters on the hockey pad, the city's outdoor rink website continues to list Rennie as closed. All day. But if you're web-savvy, you click on the name, and it reveals that only the pleasure-skating side is closed.

Dec.13 2015

The city's website has listed this rink as closed, for two days now, but only the pleasure-skating side is closed. So much wrong information.

Dec.10, 2015

At 10 a.m. the rink was closed. As in the previous 3 years (but never before) the pleasure-skating side had been turned off and the compressor power had been redirected to the hockey pad. There were some zamboni tire tracks on the hockey side.

Strange that Rennie Rink can't open on time, since it has higher compressor power than almost all other city rinks (200 hp) -- as much as Harbourfront's Natrel Rink, which is open and full of skaters. Other nearby rinks, with less power, are open too....?

Sunday Nov.29, 2015

The zamboni driver said that he had to close the hockey side and had been putting down as many floods as he could.

Nov.27, 2015

At noon, a group of kids from the school were trying the ice in their shoes, delighted to see that there was lots of ice already. On our visit the day before, four staff were chatting at the top of the stairs. They said they had begun flooding on Tuesday the 23rd, in the evenings from 6 pm to 2 am. The staff said they couldn't do more because there simply were not enough staff.

This Rink has two skating pads. Typically one side is used for pleasure skating (during hours when rink is staffed), and the other for shinny.

From The City of Toronto Website 2014-15

For the skating schedule, go to Rennie, then click on drop-in programs then click on Skating.

Rink Diary

2022 -2023

Feb.7, 2023

The city's website says that the leisure skating pad (an oval trail) is closed because of "ice conditions."

---

Rink diaries from earlier years

2021 -2022

Nov.27, 2021

Opened for the season

---

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

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 1 p.m. it was again listed as open.

Jan.21, 2019

This rink is one of two in the city listed as "snow covered, ongoing snow maintenance." The snow was two days ago, on Saturday.

---

2017 - 2018

Dec.27, 2017, from Bradley Foster

The rink has got a beautiful ice surface. On Sundays they open up the hockey rink for pleasure skating as they do on many other rinks.

Nov.24, 2017

For the past two years, this rink has kept the skating trail un-iced for the first 1 -2 weeks of the skating season. This year it's been iced -- better!

Inside the huge observation gallery, a woman is going through boxes of new hockey jerseys. She says the gilrs' hockey program will begin tomorrow, and this it includes 600 girls.

---

2016 - 2017

Nov.27, 2016

The parking lot was full even though the rink was fairly empty. Some kids' hockey had just ended and a learn-to-skate lesson had taken over on the hockey pad.

Nov.23, 2016

At 11.15, there was a thin layer of ice on both rinks, and a CIMCO truck parked outside. Maybe this year they won't wait almost two weeks to open the pleasure-skating side. That would be progress.

---

2015 - 2016

March 12, 2016

The rink is closed for the season, although it was scheduled to stay open until March 20.

March 11, 2016

This rink is listed as having bad ice on its pleasure-skating side, but open on the hockey side.

March 9, 2016

At noon, the rink was officially open but there were no skaters. Apparently there are nine inches of ice on this rink, so there was no sign of thin spots. But why go skating when spring seems to be here, with 10 celsius and a rink full of water?

March 2, 2016

This rink had its boards replaced with aluminum boards, with great fanfare, through a "partnership agreement" with Home Depot and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in 2005; also got a scoreboard and a sound system. A Parks equipment document seems to say the boards are scheduled to be replaced again this year.

Feb.4 2016

At 8 p.m., after a day when the temperature went up to 15 celsius and there was intermittent sun, the ice had firmed up completely and the rink guard said it was the best it had been all season. There was a fast hockey game with referees on the hockey pad, and lots of pleasure-skaters on the trail.

Jan.1, 2016

The city's website showed a blank for New Year's Day, which would normally mean everything was closed, but actually everything was open and there were three staff -- two rink guards and a zamboni driver.The staff said there had been the usual New Year's Eve skating party last night (New Year's Eve) and therefore the rink was open until 10. That didn't appear on the city's web schedule either. The staff said there was a big crowd.

Dec.29, 2015

All the city's outdoor rinks were closed today until later afternoon, because of the heavy, extremely wet snow. Rennie was in the first group of three to re-open, at 3 pm.

Dec.27, 2015

All of the rinks were closed over Christmas even though the ice was mostly fine, this one too. It reopened on Boxing Day.

Dec.19, 2015

As of this morning, the city's outdoor rinks website no longer says that the pleasure-skating side is closed.

Dec.14 2015, 11 a.m.

A warm day, already 11 celsius. The hockey side is fine, the pleasure-skating ice is non-existent -- turned off. I ask the zamboni driver if he knows that Rennie was listed as closed all weekend. He says, how should he know, he doesn't work on weekends. I say, don't your colleagues talk to you? He grins, shakes his head. I ask, do you know when you'll start making ice on the pleasure-skating pad? He grins again, turns and goes inside. Not giving any information seems to cause him considerable enjoyment.

While I watch the skaters on the hockey pad, the city's outdoor rink website continues to list Rennie as closed. All day. But if you're web-savvy, you click on the name, and it reveals that only the pleasure-skating side is closed.

Dec.13 2015

The city's website has listed this rink as closed, for two days now, but only the pleasure-skating side is closed. So much wrong information.

Dec.10, 2015

At 10 a.m. the rink was closed. As in the previous 3 years (but never before) the pleasure-skating side had been turned off and the compressor power had been redirected to the hockey pad. There were some zamboni tire tracks on the hockey side.

Strange that Rennie Rink can't open on time, since it has higher compressor power than almost all other city rinks (200 hp) -- as much as Harbourfront's Natrel Rink, which is open and full of skaters. Other nearby rinks, with less power, are open too....?

Sunday Nov.29, 2015

The zamboni driver said that he had to close the hockey side and had been putting down as many floods as he could.

Nov.27, 2015

At noon, a group of kids from the school were trying the ice in their shoes, delighted to see that there was lots of ice already. On our visit the day before, four staff were chatting at the top of the stairs. They said they had begun flooding on Tuesday the 23rd, in the evenings from 6 pm to 2 am. The staff said they couldn't do more because there simply were not enough staff.

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Diary 2011 - 2012, Diary 2010 - 2011, Diary 2009 - 2010, Diary 2008-2009, Diary 2007 - 2008, Diary 2006 - 2007, Diary 2005 - 2006, Diary 2003 - 2004