Outdoor Ice Rinks and Tobogganing – Winter 2024/2025

The outdoor ice rinks at Stayner, Prince Albert, King George, and Devon Parks, as well as at Queen Elizabeth Gardens, will be operational this winter, weather permitting. A new natural ice rink will also be created in the splash pad area, at the northeast corner of Westmount Park. The City is also looking into the possibility of offering other options for skating activities.

Refrigerated Ice Rink at Westmount Park
The City will not be installing a refrigerated ice rink at Westmount Park for the 2024-2025 winter season due to several factors, including:

• Increased difficulties in maintaining the ice surface for skating during significant winter temperature fluctuations due to climate change.
• Very high costs of renting and installing equipment.
• Significant damage caused by the equipment to the site and increased difficulties in restoring the site for spring activities in the park.
• Decreased annual usage rate of the equipment.

The refrigerated rink had been installed every winter at Westmount Park since 2020 as part of the City’s initiatives to offer more outdoor activities to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tobogganing at King George Park
Tobogganing and sledding will be available at King George Park when the slopes are covered with natural snow. Hay bales will also be installed at the bottom of the park hill to facilitate this activity.

Over the past few years, the snow cannons used to artificially snow the toboggan run at King George Park have caused damage to some of the park’s trees. For this reason, and to preserve the park canopy, the City will not be creating a toboggan run with artificial snow during the 2024-2025 winter season in King George Park.