TORONTO – The private garbage collection company that services the city west of Yonge St., has stepped in to keep 12 rinks slated for closure open for another month.
Mayor John Tory said Green For Life committed $100,000 early Friday to keep the rinks open. He added that negotiations are ongoing with other companies to keep more rinks open.
“We had calls well before noon from a number of companies who were stepping up saying ‘Hey, we’d like to help in some way to extend the skating season, especially in light of the cold weather.”
GFL also promised more money if other companies also contribute.
“Being a hockey player, no one ever wants the season to end early. So I thought it was a great idea to support the cities that we work in,” said Patrick Dovigi, the president of GFL.
MLSE also donated $100,000 to keep the rinks open. The city will be able to keep 29 rinks open until March 22 as a result of the $200,00 donation.
But the rinks that were supposed to be closed are the least used, one councillor said, and she wondered whether keeping them open is the best use of corporate money.
“Given our budgetary pressures and all of the money that we need in the city is this the best use of those corporate sponsorships?” Councillor Michelle Berardinetti said in an interview. “There are many uses we need that money for, the emerald ash borer and such.”
Berardinetti is among the councillors looking for extra city funding to keep the rinks open next year. She says approximately $200,000 can keep all the rinks open until after March Break.
The city closes some rinks on Feb 22. due to budget concerns and the challenges of maintaining the ice as temperatures begin to rise.
The city used corporate donations from TD Bank and Scotiabank last year to keep the same rinks open. The city budgeted extra money to keep an additional 17 rinks open this year.
Tory admitted that the use of rinks begins to decline in mid-February.
The 29 outdoor rinks remaining open:
- Broadlands Community Centre, 19 Castlegrove Blvd.
- Cedarvale Park, 443 Arlington Ave.
- Christie Pits, 779 Crawford Ave. W.
- Colonel Samuel Smith Park, 3145 Lake Shore Blvd. W.
- Dieppe Park, 455 Cosburn Ave.
- Dufferin Grove Park, 875 Dufferin St.
- Giovanni Caboto, 1369 St. Clair Ave. W.
- Glen Long Community Centre, 35 Glen Long Ave.
- Greenwood Park, 150 Greenwood Ave.
- Alexandra Park/Harry Gairey, 275 Bathurst St.
- High Park, 1873 Bloor St. W.
- Hodgson Public School Grounds, 282 Davisville Ave.
- Humber Valley, 50 Anglesey Blvd.
- Irving W. Chapley Community Centre, 205 Wilmington Ave.
- Kew Gardens, 2075 Queen St. E.
- Ledbury, 160 Ledbury St.
- Mel Lastman Square, 5100 Yonge St.
- Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St. W.
- Otter Creek, 140 Cheritan Ave.
- Ramsden, 1020 Yonge St.
- Regent Park South, 591 Dundas St. E.
- Rennie Park, 1 Rennie Ter.
- Scarborough Civic Centre/Albert Campbell Square, 150 Borough Dr.
- Sunnydale Acres Rink, 50 Amoro Dr.
- Trinity Bellwoods, 790 Queen St. W.
- West Mall Rink, 370 The West Mall
- Withrow, 725 Logan Ave.
- Sir Adam Beck, 10 Orianna Dr.
- Westway, 175 The Westway
– With files from Dave Trafford
Editor’s note: This article was edited to remove the sentences, “Here is a list of rinks slated to close on Feb. 22. Below that is a list of rinks to close on Mar. 22.”
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