Toronto has rolled out its plan to make COVID-19 winter more enjoyable. More could be done

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 29
Shawn Micallef

“Winter is coming.”

Is that a forbidding phrase to you? Some people are born lovers of winter, or born with a fidelity for all seasons. For the winter-haters, it’s hard to convince them otherwise. This year getting through the pandemic winter means embracing the outdoors is necessary. This is the year to try to like winter.

“Take up a winter sport” is not helpful advice unless you’re already predisposed to such things. The barrier to entry, as business people say, is too high: first you have to like winter.

The city of Toronto is going all out to reduce some of those barriers with the “Welcome T.O. Winter Plan” designed to encourage people to get outside safely. If it works, Toronto might yet rival Montreal, Quebec City or Edmonton as winter-ready, winter-happy Canadian cities. OK, maybe that’s a bit ambitious, but it’s a good start.

The winter plan includes opening the city’s 54 artificial ice rinks, designating 23 toboggan hills, and creating eight “snow loops” for walking and snowshoeing on the five municipal golf courses. Six disk-golf locations will be opened, including a new one at Scarlett Woods Golf Course, leisure skating will be free at the outdoor rinks, and High Park will continue to be car-free on weekends.

Though Toronto’s approach to the outdoors and public space during the pandemic started rough and still has occasional rocky patches, much has been learned over the last eight months in how to take advantage of what the city already has by making relatively easy changes, so enduring the pandemic will be easier on residents and business.

Some are initiatives that should continue, post-pandemic, if Toronto is to be a true winter city. The plan also includes things that should have been done long ago, like adding 60 kilometres of snow maintenance to trails and pathways in city parks and increasing the number of open winter park washrooms to 143, key to truly unlocking the outdoors for people.

The 800 playgrounds and 30 parks with outdoor fitness equipment will remain open, 57 tennis court nets will be left up for winter lobs and outdoor table tennis, chess tables and dog off-leash areas will be left open too.

The thing about Toronto winters is they’re actually not that bad, which is bad if you like winter. The GTA is located just a bit too south of the line where snow usually turns to rain, and a bit too east to take advantage of lake effect snow. As an urban skier, taking to the parks, alleyways and ravines once the snow starts to fall, I know painfully well that good conditions are rare. This might make the snowshoe loops hit and miss, so grab the chance when you can.

On top of the existing, refrigerated rinks, the city is accepting applications for natural ice rinks that would be community-built and maintained in public places. These, too, depend on below zero temperatures. Even Grenadier Pond in High Park, after years of “no skating” signs, will be open during deep freezes.

The winter plan can evolve and grow. Some councillors and city staff are in a can-do mood, so now is the time to push for more. Already, I’ve been told there have been requests to keep some of the playing field lights on so people can enjoy parks during our dark afternoons and evenings.

There’s much to learn from other cities, too. Calgary will be setting up fire pits in parks and providing free wood. The number of clandestine bonfires the fire department says they are extinguishing suggests they would be well used. Better to provide a real pit to accommodate the desire. Winter sports might not be for everyone, but a cozy fire in a park could entice more folks out for winter stroll while picking something up to snack on at a shop.

Our pandemic patterns may need to adapt again. The gentle dance all but the oblivious do now -- getting out of each other’s way on the sidewalks -- will be a challenge when the snow falls, so shovelling wide paths will be more important than ever. While everyone who can should shovel as a civic duty, all it takes is one uncleared stretch of sidewalk to make an entire block impassable to those with mobility issues. That’s why municipal clearing is important.

Do watch the salt though, it only takes a tiny amount to melt ice, and over-salting is toxic to the environment. Too much can also clog wheelchair works, making it hard or impossible for those who use them to get around.

Winter is coming, but it’s going to be ok.