Legal Grenadier Pond skating costly, Toronto staff say

Councillor Sarah Doucette says people skate on Grenadier Pond so she wants to make sure it's safe.

Thestar.com
Sept. 11, 2015
By David Rider

The romance of skating on Grenadier Pond seems lost on bureaucrats warning that a rigorous safety program would be costly and the number of safe skating days scant.

Last February, as Toronto shivered in record cold, city councillors led by Sarah Doucette asked staff to report back on best practices for monitoring Grenadier ice and what actions would be needed, if existing skating was legalized, to protect the city from legal liability.

Doucette (Ward 13 Parkdale-High Park) said then: “My main concern is safety.

“The last couple of winters have been colder, more and more people are going out there and I’d like to know what it would take to bring back a tradition we’ve had since Confederation.”

Legal skating on the pond was sacrificed in 2001 to save $60,000 in annual costs. Despite signs warning people to keep off the ice, or risk being ticketed, skating remains a common mid-winter sight. In 2007, a woman went partially through the ice but was unharmed.

A staff report released Friday says that converting part of the 14.2-hectare pond to a natural outdoor skating surface would cost the city $192,000 in one-time costs and $123,000 every year in operating costs.

“Skating on a designated area on Grenadier Pond will require a comprehensive natural ice monitoring program,” as advised by city legal services and risk management, the report states.

That would include “a team of experts to provide daily analysis and testing of ice, safety equipment, equipment for ice preparation such as a Zamboni and plough or snow blower, ice maintenance equipment and staff, skating area barriers, lighting, washrooms and first aid support.”

The list of safeguards was compiled after staff consulted National Capital Commission managers who tend to Ottawa’s famous canal rink. They also studied the kind of ice that forms on the High Park pond.

Storm water flow inhibits ice formation, as does the salt content. Staff also say climate change is expected to bring warmer winters, despite anomalies like last year.

“The number of days of safe skating is unpredictable, but projected to be seven to 10 days ... ,” the report states.

“Budget and liability risk considerations should be weighed against environmental factors and number of safe skating days.”

The parks and environment committee will discuss the report next Friday. The budget committee would have to review any requests for extra spending, and city council would have the final say.