The City of Toronto is going to invest $2 Million to build a skating trail in Sam Smith Park, the huge waterfront park located just to the east of Anchovy World Headquarters.
Photo from the Friends of Sam Smith Park website
The location of the trail has been recently shifted to an area Southwest of the Power House building, from the original plan to have it north west of the Powerhouse. It’s going to be a 260-metre linear trail 4.6 metres wide in a figure eight configuration. I’ve never seen a skating trail before, but it looks to me like a novel and interesting facility. If my knee is doing better next year when it opens, I may just have to lace up and try it out first hand.
I’ve heard some residents complain that we already have enough ice space in our area, particularly with the completion of the new Mastercard Centre for Hockey Excellence. There is also a voice for keeping the park as close to a natural environment as possible. Fair comments, but I think there’s a big difference between an outdoor skate on a figure 8 path surrounded by trees and an arena. In the winter, much of Sam Smith is hardly used except by the hardy dog walkers in the area. The park never has been strictly a natural area, although for sure it is an important one, particularly for birds. There are the Humber College buildings on the site, the yacht club, and other buildings around the property.
Weighing the pros and cons, I think this is creative community development, and I think it’s a good thing for the Longbranch and New Toronto neighbourhoods. For more information, visit the Friends of Sam Smith Park.
27th Street 
Enjoyed last Saturday night at the rink immensely. It’s a fabuluous place to go, free, fun, and very enjoyable. Nicely done.
Perhaps you are correct. I tried to enlarge the schematic but the text comes out too blurry to read most of the items. I can see though that a reception area, a zamboni, and a snowplow are marked but i cant make out too much beyond that. Having said that, I still think it is a bonehead idea 🙂
Maybe they’ll pump in accordion music for the skaters.
They’re spending a couple million on it. I’m sure the ice will be artificial.
I think an outdoor skating trail near the waterfront is a pretty much boneheaded idea. The biggest issue will be the lake itself which tends to keep the air temperatures somewhat warmer in winter than say 20 miles north. In general, outdoor rinks in the Toronto area are marginal at best and I think that one right on the waterfront will spend most of its time being a slushy mess. Residents will want it well lit with stadium lights for night skating. They will also want it re-flooded every 2 days to fix the footprints left by children and cats in the slush. And shoveled. That means a staff and a building to store equipment. Maybe a plywood barrier built around the thing to keep the kids out and an environmental study to determine the best color to paint the plywood. A couple of extra bylaw enforcement officers would be needed to make sure that no kid showed up with a hockey stick an a puck to terrorize granny. Maybe a gut truck to sell hot chocolate and either a proper tender process for the concession rights or a scandal when some councilor lets his brother in law set up there. Extra insurance to protect against the inevitable lawsuits that result from falls on bumpy ice. This kind of thing might work in a place like Ottawa but the chances of success in the Big Smoke are just about nil.
Oh ye of little faith. The outdoor rink at Nathan Phillips square has been very successful for many years. As for the by-law enforcement officers, they can use some of the extra ones they have chasing senior citizen walking groups and hiding behind bushes looking for dogs off their leashes.
I thought the rink at Nathan Phillips square was an artificial one frozen by 187 miles of pipes under the ice and capable of making ice in July. I may be wrong but my impression of the one for Sam Smith park was that it would be au naturel, with no zambonis involved. It seems to me that Toronto has enough trouble keeping municipal swimming pools open in the sumer and they shouldn’t be diddling around with spending big bucks on a rink that would provide less than 60 skating days/year.
And I am way beyond being of little faith, I have no faith at all when it comes to municipal govenments, or other govenments for that matter.
I wonder if there will be a fee for use of the skating path, given the City’s zeal in collecting from businesses in the park.
Oh that is me Candy above…word press keeps him logged in sorry about that…
Love the idea!