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You are in the Sir Adam Beck Rink folder
There's nothing like outdoor skating
A project of CELOS (*)
Rink change area: big and clean, rubber flooring throughout, logos everywhere
Staff: Usually only the zamboni driver, sometimes two rink guards
Maintenance: There is a tractor with an ice-cleaning attachment on site. There is also a snow cleaning tractor. A rink operator is on site Monday-Friday 3-11pm and all day Saturday and Sunday. 9 shifts a week.
Comments about this rink: e-mail us at [email protected].
Opened for the season
Marked as closed for "ice conditions." Temp is 0 celsius, heavy cloud
Marked as closed again, this time for "mechanical problems"
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.
Opening day
Earlier rink diaries
No reports
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.
This rink opened yesterday and was open this morning, but at 4 pm it was listed as closed.
4pm: School already out but an almost-empty rink, aside from a senior playing shinny by himself (86 he told me!). He's been using the rink for 30 years and was very happy with the new rink house; "let's hope the kids don't ruin it" he kept saying. A dad and his young daughter came to skate and play shinny by the time I left. The ice looked great, the new rink house was clean (if empty) and at least has windows out to the ice. The staff room is at the back and looks out to the change area with a small window.
Morning, 11 a.m.: Tory on twitter
Evening, 6.30 p.m.:
From the MLSE media release:
Located beside Sir Adam Beck Junior School and Alderwood Centre, the refurbishment project include complete replacement of the rink boards and safety glass, as well as improvements to the rink’s fieldhouse. The rink will provide local youth with a safe place to skate, play hockey and will act as an outdoor hub for the community. The improved rink will also be home to an all-girls program site for MLSE Foundation’s Hockey in the Neighbourhood program.
The last big reno was in 2009(see diary entry below). This one was done in 2017 -- so every 8 years?
Sir Adam Beck Rink Grand Re-opening Celebration
Last year, the Sir Adam Beck rink was renovated thanks to a partnership between City Parks and the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) Foundation. This community rink is well used and loved by many, and I was extremely pleased to see this important facility receive some much-needed upgrades.
In honour of this, the City will be hosting a grand re-opening tomorrow, beginning at 11 a.m. I will be in attendance, alongside the Mayor, Parks staff and other special guests. Hope to see you there!
This rink gives the impression of a lot of last-minute work being done. A worker is going in and out of the change room and a carpenter is bolting down the players boxes. The boards look new but they don't even have any logos on them yet -- very unusual especially for MLSE.
In partnership with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), City of Toronto Parks, Forestry & Recreation staff are currently working on improvements to the Sir Adam Beck ice rink.
The rink will receive a new dasher board system, with glass at the ends of the rink, a new water bottle filling station inside the existing dressing room and a fresh coat of paint in the dressing room and washroom facilities.
The fence at the west end of the rink is being extended in height to address safety concerns of pucks of landing in the nearby school grounds.
This project is scheduled to be completed in advance of the upcoming ice season.
This rink opened on time on Nov.26 2016.
Rink diaries from earlier years:
Although it was scheduled to stay open until March 20, this rink was closed for the season today.
8 p.m.: Temp. 3 degrees, rink listed as closed.
All the city's outdoor rinks were closed today until later afternoon, because of the heavy, extremely wet snow. But Adam Beck opened in the first group of three. Good ice-making by the grouchy zamboni driver from a month ago? Who knows?
The rink was scheduled to be open, but there was only thin ice. A sign was posted on the door, saying the ice is "too soft so the rink is closed," and the doors were locked. Some knocking brought the zamboni driver to the door. He said, "can't you see how warm it is outside? Of course the rinks can't be open." I told him that quite a few rinks were open and the ice was fine. He said, "they have much better cooling." I said, "no, some of the ones that are open have the same amount of cooling as your rink. When did this rink start making ice?"
He rolled his eyes and said, "I'm busy, I can't take any more time to talk."
And slammed the door.
The rink was open, but although there were two staff on site, they had only one skater by 2 pm, and the rink didn't look like it would recover, since the sun was strong. Temperature: 1 celsius.
Rink marked "closed" for today, by 3 pm.
At 10.50 there were 7 shinny players -- two little kids with helmets, the adults without. The rink was open and the building was open -- no rink staff present.
The rink opened on Nov.29, closed on Nov.30, reopened on Dec.2.
No signs to say they're open, but there was a member of staff inside the change room who said they are open. The ice is pretty good, but uneven and rough in some areas. There were 4/5 kids playing shinny.
There's a little vehicle on the rink scrubbing the surface. The rink looks clean and ready to go. But no ice will be made for another week.
This rink is scheduled to open on the 21st of November. At around noon, there were friendly maintenance staff working on the building from the inside. The walls in the change room were freshly painted, with big blue male and female for the bathrooms. The staff pointed out that a new door and window were installed, adding more light to the single brick room and improving visibility. The existing doors and window were re-framed. The rink itself was partially cleared of leaves and there was a little water on the pad. The compressors did not appear to be on yet. There was a City of Toronto poster up saying that the rink was scheduled to open on the 21st of November, weather permitting and to call 311 for more information.
Overcast. The rink has ice. Lots of water remains on the surface though. The rink house is still under construction. The sinks and urinals are still not installed. The plumber in the building said he was hoping to finish his end of thing today. Only 2 of the big rink lights were raised by 10am this morning. Its unclear, unlikely... that the rink or building will be ready for opening day tomorrow.
All the light standards are up and apparently the electrician is in the building, hooking everything up. The sinks are mostly in, just one urinal left to go. New flooring is being laid. The two doors of the garage are being enlarged to accommodate bigger vehicles.
The compressors are not on, and the rink has no ice and no ice-making staff.
This rink was supposed to open on Nov.21, but even today, it's still closed. The first thing to meet the eye in the rink parking lot is a big asphalt truck. A company is repaving the path around the outside of the building.
Meanwhile, the ice looks terrific, despite a sunny day of 12 degrees celsius (although the sun is at its lowest at this time of the year, without much melting power). The mats are laid out, the benches in place, but the rink is locked, and there are no staff to say when it will be opened to skaters.
At 2.45 there were 4 pleasure-skaters on the ice, plus 1 rink guard. There were 12 skaters inside, some about to leave and a few just arriving, and 2 more rink guards, who were comfortably settled on a bench by the window and deep in conversation. I asked them for a holiday schedule and they were quick to go look for one, but there were none to take home. There were yellow signs of revised holiday hours posted prominently, saying that the rink would be open but unsupervised on New Year's Day.
I asked the rink guards, "why are there so few skaters? Is it always like this?" They said that sometimes it's busier, "but not on the holidays, because a lot of people are away."
Comparison to nearby Wedgwood Rink, an unsupervised compressor-cooled tennis pad: at the same time, there were 37 skaters on or around the ice, with more people arriving. And Valleyfield Rink, the same kind of unsupervised rink, had 31 skaters, with more coming down the rink steps.
At 5.20, there were 10 shinny hockey players on the ice, all wearing helmets. One skater was sitting in the change room, talking to the zamboni driver. I asked about attendance and he said there are regulars who come for the public shinny. He said that the tennis pad rinks without boards have many more shinny players because they don't have to wear helmets, and he finds it tough to be always harrassing the skaters at this rink, to put on their helmets.
See Diaries tab
For the skating schedule, go to Sir Adam Beck, then click on Skating.
Opened for the season
Marked as closed for "ice conditions." Temp is 0 celsius, heavy cloud
Marked as closed again, this time for "mechanical problems"
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.
Opening day
Earlier rink diaries
No reports
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.
This rink opened yesterday and was open this morning, but at 4 pm it was listed as closed.
4pm: School already out but an almost-empty rink, aside from a senior playing shinny by himself (86 he told me!). He's been using the rink for 30 years and was very happy with the new rink house; "let's hope the kids don't ruin it" he kept saying. A dad and his young daughter came to skate and play shinny by the time I left. The ice looked great, the new rink house was clean (if empty) and at least has windows out to the ice. The staff room is at the back and looks out to the change area with a small window.
Morning, 11 a.m.: Tory on twitter
Evening, 6.30 p.m.:
From the MLSE media release:
Located beside Sir Adam Beck Junior School and Alderwood Centre, the refurbishment project include complete replacement of the rink boards and safety glass, as well as improvements to the rink’s fieldhouse. The rink will provide local youth with a safe place to skate, play hockey and will act as an outdoor hub for the community. The improved rink will also be home to an all-girls program site for MLSE Foundation’s Hockey in the Neighbourhood program.
The last big reno was in 2009(see diary entry below). This one was done in 2017 -- so every 8 years?
Sir Adam Beck Rink Grand Re-opening Celebration
Last year, the Sir Adam Beck rink was renovated thanks to a partnership between City Parks and the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) Foundation. This community rink is well used and loved by many, and I was extremely pleased to see this important facility receive some much-needed upgrades.
In honour of this, the City will be hosting a grand re-opening tomorrow, beginning at 11 a.m. I will be in attendance, alongside the Mayor, Parks staff and other special guests. Hope to see you there!
This rink gives the impression of a lot of last-minute work being done. A worker is going in and out of the change room and a carpenter is bolting down the players boxes. The boards look new but they don't even have any logos on them yet -- very unusual especially for MLSE.
In partnership with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), City of Toronto Parks, Forestry & Recreation staff are currently working on improvements to the Sir Adam Beck ice rink.
The rink will receive a new dasher board system, with glass at the ends of the rink, a new water bottle filling station inside the existing dressing room and a fresh coat of paint in the dressing room and washroom facilities.
The fence at the west end of the rink is being extended in height to address safety concerns of pucks of landing in the nearby school grounds.
This project is scheduled to be completed in advance of the upcoming ice season.
This rink opened on time on Nov.26 2016.
Rink diaries from earlier years:
Although it was scheduled to stay open until March 20, this rink was closed for the season today.
8 p.m.: Temp. 3 degrees, rink listed as closed.
All the city's outdoor rinks were closed today until later afternoon, because of the heavy, extremely wet snow. But Adam Beck opened in the first group of three. Good ice-making by the grouchy zamboni driver from a month ago? Who knows?
The rink was scheduled to be open, but there was only thin ice. A sign was posted on the door, saying the ice is "too soft so the rink is closed," and the doors were locked. Some knocking brought the zamboni driver to the door. He said, "can't you see how warm it is outside? Of course the rinks can't be open." I told him that quite a few rinks were open and the ice was fine. He said, "they have much better cooling." I said, "no, some of the ones that are open have the same amount of cooling as your rink. When did this rink start making ice?"
He rolled his eyes and said, "I'm busy, I can't take any more time to talk."
And slammed the door.
The rink was open, but although there were two staff on site, they had only one skater by 2 pm, and the rink didn't look like it would recover, since the sun was strong. Temperature: 1 celsius.
Rink marked "closed" for today, by 3 pm.
At 10.50 there were 7 shinny players -- two little kids with helmets, the adults without. The rink was open and the building was open -- no rink staff present.
The rink opened on Nov.29, closed on Nov.30, reopened on Dec.2.
No signs to say they're open, but there was a member of staff inside the change room who said they are open. The ice is pretty good, but uneven and rough in some areas. There were 4/5 kids playing shinny.
There's a little vehicle on the rink scrubbing the surface. The rink looks clean and ready to go. But no ice will be made for another week.
This rink is scheduled to open on the 21st of November. At around noon, there were friendly maintenance staff working on the building from the inside. The walls in the change room were freshly painted, with big blue male and female for the bathrooms. The staff pointed out that a new door and window were installed, adding more light to the single brick room and improving visibility. The existing doors and window were re-framed. The rink itself was partially cleared of leaves and there was a little water on the pad. The compressors did not appear to be on yet. There was a City of Toronto poster up saying that the rink was scheduled to open on the 21st of November, weather permitting and to call 311 for more information.
Overcast. The rink has ice. Lots of water remains on the surface though. The rink house is still under construction. The sinks and urinals are still not installed. The plumber in the building said he was hoping to finish his end of thing today. Only 2 of the big rink lights were raised by 10am this morning. Its unclear, unlikely... that the rink or building will be ready for opening day tomorrow.
All the light standards are up and apparently the electrician is in the building, hooking everything up. The sinks are mostly in, just one urinal left to go. New flooring is being laid. The two doors of the garage are being enlarged to accommodate bigger vehicles.
The compressors are not on, and the rink has no ice and no ice-making staff.
This rink was supposed to open on Nov.21, but even today, it's still closed. The first thing to meet the eye in the rink parking lot is a big asphalt truck. A company is repaving the path around the outside of the building.
Meanwhile, the ice looks terrific, despite a sunny day of 12 degrees celsius (although the sun is at its lowest at this time of the year, without much melting power). The mats are laid out, the benches in place, but the rink is locked, and there are no staff to say when it will be opened to skaters.
At 2.45 there were 4 pleasure-skaters on the ice, plus 1 rink guard. There were 12 skaters inside, some about to leave and a few just arriving, and 2 more rink guards, who were comfortably settled on a bench by the window and deep in conversation. I asked them for a holiday schedule and they were quick to go look for one, but there were none to take home. There were yellow signs of revised holiday hours posted prominently, saying that the rink would be open but unsupervised on New Year's Day.
I asked the rink guards, "why are there so few skaters? Is it always like this?" They said that sometimes it's busier, "but not on the holidays, because a lot of people are away."
Comparison to nearby Wedgwood Rink, an unsupervised compressor-cooled tennis pad: at the same time, there were 37 skaters on or around the ice, with more people arriving. And Valleyfield Rink, the same kind of unsupervised rink, had 31 skaters, with more coming down the rink steps.
At 5.20, there were 10 shinny hockey players on the ice, all wearing helmets. One skater was sitting in the change room, talking to the zamboni driver. I asked about attendance and he said there are regulars who come for the public shinny. He said that the tennis pad rinks without boards have many more shinny players because they don't have to wear helmets, and he finds it tough to be always harrassing the skaters at this rink, to put on their helmets.