Outdoor Ice Rinks

It all depends on the weather. Before we can begin flooding, the ground and concrete pad must be completely frozen. This usually takes one to two weeks of steady cold — daytime highs around –5 °C or lower and overnight lows near –10 °C. Once that happens, crews start flooding in thin layers until the ice is solid and smooth.

If the ground isn’t fully frozen, the water seeps away instead of freezing properly. That creates soft spots and uneven ice that can’t be safely maintained. Starting too soon means more work later — and a shorter season overall.

On average, it takes about 20,000 gallons of water and roughly 30 separate floods over two to three weeks. Between the Parks, Sportsplex, and Fire Department teams, that adds up to about 250 combined hours of work before opening day.

Centennial Park Outdoor Rink is a joint effort between the Town’s Parks and Sportsplex staff, with support from the Fire Department for flooding.

The natural ice surfaces (Vistas, Winter Lake, and Highlands/Briegel Ponds) are mainly maintained and checked by the Fire Department.

In 2024:

• Natural ice surfaces opened December 17 once ice thickness met safety standards.

• Centennial Park Outdoor Rink opened December 28 after crews began flooding December 11.
  All rinks closed February 27, 2025 when warmer weather made the ice unsafe.

No. Please stay off all natural ice surfaces until the Town has confirmed that the ice meets safety thickness standards and signage has changed to “Open.” Entering early is at your own risk.

The Town follows Canadian Red Cross guidelines for ice thickness. Ice must be thick enough to safely support people and equipment before public use is allowed.

This webpage will be updated below and any news will be posted on the Town’s social media channels. Opening and closure dates depend entirely on the weather.

We encourage users of the ice surfaces to become “Snow Patrol” volunteers by clearing snow with shovels or small push-style snowblowers. Please refrain from using motorized vehicles on the ice.   Be aware, these rinks are bordered by snow edges only and do not have boards.