Lace up your skates, Vaughan, it’s time to hit the ice!

Winter is officially here! Whether you’re looking to pick up skating as a new hobby, show off your skills or organize a shinny hockey game for a little friendly competition, the City of Vaughan is sharing how you can hit the ice this season.

Here are all the ways you can enjoy skating in Vaughan this winter:

Outdoor skating rinks

Enjoy the crisp winter air and skate for FREE on one of the City’s outdoor ice rinks:

• Chancellor Community Centre (350 Ansley Grove Rd.)
• Cortellucci Square (300 Maplecrete Rd.)
• Dufferin Clark Community Centre (1441 Clark Ave. W.)
• Father E. Bulfon Community Centre (8141 Martin Grove Rd.)
• Garnet A. Williams Community Centre (501 Clark Ave. W.)
• Secord Park (65 Secord Ave.)
• The Sports Village skating trail (2600 Rutherford Rd.)
• Vellore Village Community Centre (1 Villa Royale Ave.)

Weather permitting, all outdoor rinks are open daily until 11 p.m., except for Father E. Bulfon Community Centre, which closes at 10:30 p.m. All rinks are subject to weekly closures for regular maintenance on Wednesdays between 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Vellore Village Community Centre and Cortellucci Square, on Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Chancellor, Dufferin Clark and Father E. Bulfon community centres, and on Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Garnet A. Williams Community Centre.

For the enjoyment and safety of all skaters, everyone is asked to follow the City’s Skating Rink Guidelines (PDF). Rinks are unsupervised unless otherwise stated in the recreational skating and shinny hockey schedule at vaughan.ca/skate.

Indoor recreational skating and shinny hockey

Registered drop-in indoor supervised recreational skating and shinny hockey is available at:

• Al Palladini Community Centre (9201 Islington Ave.)
• Garnet A. Williams Community Centre (501 Clark Ave. W.)
• Maple Community Centre (10190 Keele St.)
• Woodbridge Memorial Arena (5020 Highway 7)

Registration and pre-payment are available seven days in advance of scheduled recreational skate/shinny hockey for residents of Vaughan and four days in advance for non-residents at vaughan.perfectmind.com. Multi-visit passes can also be purchased online. 

For more information on the City’s outdoor rinks, including skate schedules, visit vaughan.ca/skate. 

Accessibility sledges now available
The City of Vaughan is committed to ensuring everyone can enjoy skating this winter. Accessibility sledges — adaptive equipment designed to support individuals with mobility challenges or other disabilities — are now available for use at Al Palladini Community Centre, Rosemount Community Centre and Garnet A. Williams Community Centre. 

Sledges provide a stable, seated experience, allowing participants to glide across the ice comfortably and safely. Sledges are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To borrow a sledge, a $50 security deposit via credit card is required and will be refunded upon return of the sledge. Please allow three to five business days for the deposit to be returned to your credit card. 

Both pickup and drop-off are located at the community centre’s customer service desk. Each location has a limited number of sledges available, and they must be returned after each use on the day they were loaned.

Last-minute ice rentals

Want the ice all to yourself? You can now book last-minute (24 hours to five days in advance) ice rentals for skating or shinny hockey for a new promo rate of $99 per hour (plus HST and application insurance) at the following locations: 

• Al Palladini Community Centre (9201 Islington Ave.)
• Garnet A. Williams Community Centre (501 Clark Ave. W.)
• Maple Community Centre (10190 Keele St.)
• Rosemount Community Centre (1000 New Westminster Dr.)
• The Sports Village, for City-owned ice time only (2600 Rutherford Rd.)
• Woodbridge Pool and Memorial Arena (5020 Highway 7)

Last-minute bookings are non-refundable and can be made for a one- to nine-hour timeslot and include private use of two change rooms. To reserve ice time, visit vaughan.perfectmind.com or call Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281. More information about last-minute bookings and mandatory hourly insurance fees for recreational skating and shinny hockey is available at vaughan.ca/FacilityRentals. If you require assistance creating a PerfectMind account or booking arena ice online, email rec@vaughan.ca or call 905-832-2281. 

The Sports Village

There are plenty of ways to take advantage of The Sports Village’s facilities this winter. The skate path is now open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. for free skate, with snacks and refreshments available for purchase.

Looking to host a skating party or get your friends and family together for some holiday hockey? The Sports Village offers ice rentals until March, with the following availability:

• Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Fridays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. or 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
• Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Sundays from 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.

To learn more, head over to The Sports Village’s website.

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