At its Jan. 11, 2021 meeting, Huntsville’s general committee discussed the lack of public outdoor skating opportunities for residents and what, if anything, should be done about it.
The matter was raised by Councillor Dan Armour during a roundtable discussion at the end of the virtual meeting.
“There has been a petition circulating about skating rinks. I wondered if there is any opportunity to maybe look at [Cann Lake] and see about opening that up for skating this year,” said Armour. (You’ll find that petition, which as of this writing has 176 digital signatures, on change.org.)
Councillor Tim Withey noted that he had asked that question of staff and said he learned that Cann Lake’s ice surface is unstable in most years and requires significant resources to make it safe and usable. “If there is another site that would be more stable and take less resources, I think would be the answer,” he said.
Mayor Karin Terziano added that the Cann Lake ice rink is weather dependent and that in a discussion with staff earlier in 2020 “[we] determined at that time Cann Lake wasn’t something that we were going to open this year.”
Steve Hernen, the Town’s Director of Operations and Protective Services, said that he’s heard from service groups interested in resurrecting the rink at Cann Lake, but “I think because of the COVID restrictions, they backed away. The BIA had their rink last year [in River Mill Park] and we had a couple of spots picked out this year, they wanted to expand it, but the BIA decided for the same reason—COVID—they backed away.” He added that the Town staff that used to maintain the Cann Lake rink have all been reassigned to sidewalk duties.
The Town has also been clearing the Lions Lookout track of snow for people to walk on, but it has consumed more staff resources than expected. It has “been a tremendous success,” said Hernen. “It’s eating up more [staff] time than we thought.”
Staff have also tried to clear a rink at Avery Beach in the past, but ran into issues due to the currents in Hunters Bay, said Hernen.
Councillor Jason FitzGerald noted that there are two rinks open in Port Sydney—one on the lake and one in the parking lot at the beach—and that while it’s been challenging to get them ready due to the mild temperatures this winter, they’ve been well-received by community members and most people are abiding by restrictions. He suggested that, since fire activity has been low this winter, “perhaps we get the fire service involved [at the Lookout field]. The whole community would benefit from a rink up at the field there, we just have to make it navigable to get the trucks up there and they can flood the rink. We just need some volunteers.”
Town CAO Denise Corry also noted that there are other possible locations for a rink, including Meadow Park and River Mill Park—maintained by the Town rather than the Downtown Huntsville BIA—and that there are Canada Summit Centre staff who were laid off just before Christmas who could be brought back for that purpose.
Councillor Nancy Alcock said that she would support an alternative ice rink location, while Councillor Jonathan Wiebe suggested McCulley-Robertson Recreation Park as an ideal solution. “There’s water there, there’s a lot of parking, there’s a lot of room, there’s also lights that potentially we could light up the rink on a Saturday night,” said Wiebe. “If we were going to deploy staff and really make an effort for it, I’d like to see us really do it and have lots of space so that we could accommodate lots of people [with better social distancing].”
Ice rinks are permitted outdoor amenities under the current provincewide shutdown, provided that people maintain a distance of two metres from one another. Sports or games where people could come within two metres of each other are not allowed. Organized outdoor events and gatherings are limited to 10 people.
Mayor Karin Terziano said that staff could investigate potential ice rink locations further.
However, she added, “if we provide these facilities, we are encouraging people to gather and they’re asking us not to do that. I know it’s outdoor activity and I know that it’s good for people’s physical and mental well-being, but we may be looking at a few months where, you know what, you’ve just gotta go out in your own back yard or go for a walk around your own block. I really think the encouragement of gatherings on ice rinks, that we then have to go out and start patrolling to make sure that not more than 10 people are there, might be a little more than we want to bite into this year. I know it’s probably not a popular opinion.”
She said that the Town should explore the use of Lions Lookout field for next year for “a great new facility for the Town of Huntsville, I’m just not sure that this is the year that we can do all of those things.”
Last week the Town of Bracebridge opened two outdoor rinks with the help of community volunteers.
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Bill Beatty says
Thanks to The Amazing Stephenson Lions Club for the funding , construction and
maintenance of the Port Sydney ice surfaces and kudos to The Port Sydney FFs who have pitched in.
Splendid effort !
Ray Vowels says
What ever happened to the rink they used to have on chub lake rd by the old school could that not be opened again.
Jamie Lockwood says
So Karen . Just to be clear. Monitoring the numbers for the walking track the Town is maintaining, is in full effect then? Those numbers are adhered to? Just asking because if thats an issue and worry with skating areas, then why did you go ahead and do the walking trail??? I agree 100% with Jonathan. If you have the open area / the parking / the lights/ the water ….isnt that the place to be?
Rob Saunders says
Being involved with some of the earlier discussions about the Town supporting outdoor ice surfaces (Cann Lake and purpose specific ice pads for shinny and public skating) it would be great to build some momentum, if not for this year due to distancing issues, but looking toward next year and future years. I personally believe the Town and its resources need to be the answer to the problem, but I believe if they asked they would find there is a groundswell of support among businesses and individuals in the community to make this happen.
When I was a kid, back in the dark ages, we played our outdoor hockey on tennis court surfaces converted to ice pads in the winter.
At the very least start the discussions now to make sure this doesn’t get lost in the warming weather.
Personally I have always thought an active, safely maintained Cann Lake ice surface would be one of the areas most popular winter attractions to residents and visitors alike. When I read that town employees, that cleared and maintained Cann Lake in the past, have been moved to sidewalk duties I have to question that. I’m not sure if our sidewalks have noticed that much of an improvement in their maintenance.
There was a time that the Town even brought a Zamboni down to flood the ice and it was an integral part of the Winter Carnival.
Does this mean that the Town will need to invest some capital dollars to get proper change rooms installed, possibly lights, and a consistent surface? Likely, but would that not be a great use for some of the Accomodation Tax dollars that it has accrued. Think of the out-of-town visitors drawn by the Arrowhead Park skating trail. I see using the outdoor beauty of Cann Lake and Muskoka Heritage Place as a significant marquee draw, while all the time providing a great option to families and individuals to get outside and get some fresh air and exercise. .
Doug Litchfield says
I think the town is dropping the ball on the Cann Lake rink. There is a town full of kids (and adults) with nothing to do, they are being schooled at home, there are no sports or clubs. Skating, hiking, and cross country skiing are all activities that the province is allowing so let’s encourage not discourage. These are exceptional times so let’s step up to the plate and support our local families.
nancy long says
I absolutely agree with Rob Saunders. If Bracebridge can get a rink outside, Novar can get a rink outside, Port Sydney can get a rink outside, what on earth is going on in Huntsville. And the next step is to develop some of the park land that is sitting not being used. I’m starting to wonder who is in charge of parks and rec here!
Mary Spring says
Our children need a space where they can exercise and spend time out of doors. The long term effects of isolating children from such activities will haunt us in the future. I would be happy to help to maintain a rink. This town is full of people willing to help out!
Ross Kirwin says
This project is glaringly obvious in the support it has. It appears that $$$$$ is the reason that it has not continued over the years. Can this really be true ?
There are so many citizens of the town who would like to see it happen, that I have a hard time understanding why it gets shelved year after year. What a unique way to promote tourism in a normal year. This is not rocket science it is just budget. Many people can attest to the fact that if you start early, you can build up the ice thickness to survive warm spells. It was done in the past, and can be done again, but $$$$$ is the reason it is not happening . Hunters Bay was open water and there was a hockey tournament going on close to shore by private citizens. Do they know more than the town? No, it is $$$$ !
Find them, or raise them, what is so tough about that ?