The Community Ice Rink program brings neighbours together to enjoy outdoor recreational skating close to home. Volunteers throughout the city help create more than 30 natural ice rinks on parkland, with support from us.
Volunteer to lead a community ice rink
If you and your neighbours or community group are interested in building and maintaining a community ice rink in your local park, we’re accepting applications. There are more than 20 approved community ice rink locations city-wide. We only consider locations in our parks with existing winter water services, flat areas that drain well and where the rink is not immediately next to homes. Each rink must have a minimum of four members, two of which are willing to be primary and alternate contacts and will attend mandatory training. All volunteers must be 18 years of age or older. Applications are approved on a first-come, first-serve basis.
We provide volunteers with:
- Training to volunteer groups
- Equipment such as hoses, spray nozzle, water key, backflow, shinny nets and lighting at some locations
- Picnic tables
- Weekly inspections for ice quality
- Promotions of rink locations on guelph.ca
- Up to $500 in grant money based on program criteria to registered volunteer groups
Everything you need to know before you volunteer
We can have a maximum of 29 volunteer-run outdoor community ice rinks. Apply by November 11 using the online application. Getting your application in on time helps us set up seasonal water and hydro services for the rink.
Mandatory training
All volunteers are required to complete mandatory training, which provides after-hour contact information, safety guidelines, sign out keys for the rink vaults and training on the lighting system if the rink has it. This meeting also gives the volunteers an opportunity to connect with staff.
Training sessions will take place in person. Your application will ask you to choose between two dates.
Please bring a list of equipment you already have to the meeting, including water key/nozzle, duo check valve, abus key, hockey-style pond nets or other equipment.
Grant funding
Registered volunteer groups will receive a season grant of up to $500 each season, which are processed around May 1 each year and paid to the main volunteer contact.
Your group must meet the following requirements to be eligible:
- Approved Community Ice Rink Application
- Designated contact attended the mandatory training meeting
- Submitted monthly maintenance flooding/water-use records (Appendix B)
- Provided skating days statistics by month, in full (Appendix C)
- Confirmed inspections by staff of suitable skating surface
- All equipment/keys/materials have been returned and confirmed
Resources
Appendix A: Approved community ice rink locationsAppendix B: Monthly maintenance flooding and water use recordAppendix C: Skating day statisticsAppendix D: General information
Approving new ice rink locations
We reserve the right to approve new locations that are best suited for each neighbourhood and have the infrastructure in place to operate an outdoor ice rink.
Rink locations on school properties
Rink locations at school sites require coordination and final approval with the Upper Grand District School Board. Please contact the Coordinator of Community Use of Schools Program, at 519-822-4420 extension 833 to confirm access requirements.
For more information or to report an issue with a rink
519-837-5626
[email protected]