About 5 years ago, I was walking along Reynolds by Wallace Park just south of the Hospital. As I peered through the icy cold night, on the baseball diamond were a couple of men. One guy was holding a garden hose, spraying water that was slowly making a rink, that guy was Town Councillor, Dave Gittings. Both men were bundled up chatting away enjoying the process of making an outdoor rink. Since then Councillor Gittings and local neighbours have been out every year getting the rink ready.
This ritual of a Canadian winter happens through out Oakville as communities come together and build the local skating rink. In Oakville, you really have to be determined keep the rink in good shape, since we experience so many thaws. Gittings is back at Wallace Park on a regular basis.
This year will be no different. As the temperatures drop below freezing both day and night over the next week, you'll see public outdoor rinks start to pop up all over town. Oakville's Parks & Open Space department have been busy preparing for this yearly right of winter.
Outdoor rinks are located at:
- Clearview Park – Clearview
- Langtry Park – Glen Abbey (west of Third Line)
- Nottinghill Park – Glen Abbey (east of Third Line)
- Falgarwood Park – Iroquois Ridge
- Glenashton Park – Iroquois Ridge
- Bloomfield Park – West Oak Trails
- Sixteen Hollow Park – West Oak Trails
- Millbank Park – Uptown Core
- Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park - Bronte Rd & Ontario St.
- Forster Park - West River
- Wallace Park - Old Oakville
- Town Square - Downtown Oakville (this is an artificial surface)
- Bronte Creek Provincial Park
- Abbey Lane School Tennis Courts - Glen Abbey
- Valley Ridge Park - Bronte Creek
If your neighbourhood wants to establish a rink other than those listed above, it is the residents’ responsibility to maintain the rink. Open the neighbourhood ice rink request form (pdf, 15 kB) to see what is involved.
Skating is not recommended on all other ponds and creeks, though after a good long week of extremely cold temperatures you might see skaters on 16 Mile Creek just north of the Lakeshore Road Bridge, and Bronte Creek just North of Lakeshore Road West. Please use extreme caution before venturing out onto the any of the ponds or creeks.