Toronto's favourite pond for winter ice skating is closing
People looking forward to skating on Grenadier Pond, one of the city's favourite natural ice rinks, are sadly out of luck this season.
The City has recently announced that it will not be opening the rink to the public this year when it finally freezes over.
The ice on the High Park pond has traditionally been monitored daily each winter to ensure it is safe enough for residents to skate on, which they have happily done for years.
The skating spot was perfect for a game of shinny or a skate with family or friends, nestled among the trees — a much more scenic and preferable alternative to other downtown rinks, which can get frustratingly crowded.
Changes to the latest Toronto budget means that the 35-acre rink will be closed to the public for 2020 and the foreseeable future in order to save the approximately $166,000 it costed per year to test and maintain the ice.
In recent years, seasonal changes meant that there were only about 17 days each winter that the ice was skateable.
The lack of monitoring means that skating on the ice will, in effect, be not only dangerous, but illegal.
If you still want to strap on your skates in the area, you can head to High Park's artificial outdoor rink or the nearby skating pad in Rennie Park.
