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Contact: [email protected]

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City Councillor

The City Councillor for this rink is Adam Vaughan

Natural Ice Rink: This rink is not operated by the City of Toronto

Sibelius Rink Profile

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

Rink diary 2016

Jan.23, 2016

January 23, 2016: no ice

No evidence of any ice making (yet) this year.

Rink diaries from earlier years:

Rink Diary 2015

Jan.16 2015

January 15, good ice, happy skaters

The ice went in the week of January 12th. On the evening of Jan.15, there were eight skaters, with more arriving (with hockey sticks). Ice looked good.

Message from ice maker Peter Steen: The ice is currently in the transition from "base" to "rink," yet has been skated on for several days already.

Never, in my 16 years doing this, have I seen such quick progress (and with little snow).

I think the bare ground getting so thoroughly frozen in December and early January allows us to flood with little water loss, hence the quick ice build-up.

Rink Diary 2013

See also: Editor's and Rink Users' blog

January 7, 2012

rink area gets an upgrade

washroom building -- a change room too?

Sunday January 6, 2013

No rink yet...

Sunday January 21, 2013

First signs of flooding

Wednesday January 23, 2013

getting there

good water pressure, new rink wall

This is the first year for the new rink arrangements at Sibelius Park. There are a few high spots with grass still showing, and the ice is still choppy, but it's getting there fast.

January 30 2013

remarkable ice at 5pm, 14 celsius all day

south end ice is solid under the water

north end is showing some grass

Temperatures are on their second day of well above freezing, in fact since the middle of last night, it's been 14 celsius. Even so, much of the ice is holding. It's very choppy but if the temperature goes back down to freezing tonight and stays down for the next week as predicted, this rink will most likely have quite good skating. Their crew must have put on a lot of water last week, to have such plentiful ice now.

January 31, 2013, from rink volunteer Fred Freedman

January 26, 2013

before the thaw

new park sign

The story of the rink is, I presume, much the same as the other natural rinks in the City. About 15 years ago the City stopped doing the floods for the natural rink and so we took it upon ourselves, in coordination with Brian Green, the local City Parks supervisor (to this day) to take over establishing and maintaining a community rink.

And for the past 15 years a group of volunteers has done just that. Until last year we were dependent on Brian Green to literally truck in snow (in years without it) to establish a perimeter to hold the flood waters. But with the re-design of the park (a big part of which was to make flooding and rink maintenance easier) this year flooding has been smoother than ever. And the rink is bigger than ever. The weather has unfortunately not cooperated but as your website mentions, we got such a great base last week that we should be okay this week.

I was just looking at the 'damage' this morning and have sent out an email to the volunteers saying that it looks like we can have the rink back up for another week of skating if we can get a few floods in in the next 48 hours. After that the weather looks bad for the rink.

Views

Rink Diary2012-2013

See also: Editor's and Rink Users' blog

January 7, 2012

rink area gets an upgrade

washroom building -- a change room too?

Sunday January 6, 2013

No rink yet...

Sunday January 21, 2013

First signs of flooding

Wednesday January 23, 2013

getting there

good water pressure, new rink wall

This is the first year for the new rink arrangements at Sibelius Park. There are a few high spots with grass still showing, and the ice is still choppy, but it's getting there fast.

January 30 2013

remarkable ice at 5pm, 14 celsius all day

south end ice is solid under the water

north end is showing some grass

Temperatures are on their second day of well above freezing, in fact since the middle of last night, it's been 14 celsius. Even so, much of the ice is holding. It's very choppy but if the temperature goes back down to freezing tonight and stays down for the next week as predicted, this rink will most likely have quite good skating. Their crew must have put on a lot of water last week, to have such plentiful ice now.

January 31, 2013, from rink volunteer Fred Freedman

January 26, 2013

before the thaw

new park sign

The story of the rink is, I presume, much the same as the other natural rinks in the City. About 15 years ago the City stopped doing the floods for the natural rink and so we took it upon ourselves, in coordination with Brian Green, the local City Parks supervisor (to this day) to take over establishing and maintaining a community rink.

And for the past 15 years a group of volunteers has done just that. Until last year we were dependent on Brian Green to literally truck in snow (in years without it) to establish a perimeter to hold the flood waters. But with the re-design of the park (a big part of which was to make flooding and rink maintenance easier) this year flooding has been smoother than ever. And the rink is bigger than ever. The weather has unfortunately not cooperated but as your website mentions, we got such a great base last week that we should be okay this week.

I was just looking at the 'damage' this morning and have sent out an email to the volunteers saying that it looks like we can have the rink back up for another week of skating if we can get a few floods in in the next 48 hours. After that the weather looks bad for the rink.