STAFF REPORT INFORMATION ONLY Indoor and Outdoor Ice Provision and Programming, 2013-2014 Date: July 22, 2014 To: Scarborough Community Council From: Acting General Manager , Parks, Forestry and Recreation Wards: 35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44 Reference P:\2014\Cluster A\PFR\SC34-081214- AFS#19721 Number: SUMMARY The purpose of this report is to respond to a Scarborough Community Council request for information on the City of Toronto indoor and outdoor ice surfaces in each of the former municipalities and the amount of free City of Toronto Drop-In skating and Drop-In shinny hockey programs by location. The report also outlines steps that will increase additional free shinny hockey in Scarborough and advises on the helmet policy at municipal ice rinks. Financial Impact This report will have no financial impact. DECISION HISTORY On January 22, 2013, Scarborough Community Council through the adoption of item SC21.31, requested the General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation report back on the following: 1) A breakdown of both indoor and outdoor ice surfaces in each of the former municipalities and other organizations such as the Toronto District School Board and community groups. List each location and the type of ice surfaces provided at each location; 1 Staff Report for Information - Indoor & Outdoor Ice Provision & Programming, 2013-2014 2) How many of the locations provide free community skating time? How many of the locations provide free shinny hockey time? As well provide the amount of free community skating and free shinny hockey times at each location; 3) What steps need to be taken and financial resources will be required to provide/increase additional free shinny hockey times throughout the various locations; and 4) Comment on helmets being mandatory during skating in all venues. See: Scarborough Community Council, January 22, 2013, Item SC.21.31 http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2013.SC21.31 COMMENTS 1. Indoor and Outdoor Ice Provision 1a) Municipally Provided Indoor and Outdoor Ice The City of Toronto currently owns and operates 40 arenas providing a total of 48 ice pads. In addition, the City owns 9 arenas with 15 ice pads that are operated by a Board of Management in the former City of Toronto. A distribution by former municipality is provided in Table 1 below and a complete list of these facilities is provided as Attachment 1 - City of Toronto Indoor Artificial Ice Locations. The City of Toronto also provides outdoor artificial ice skating opportunities at 52 locations comprised of 35 hockey pads and 30 pleasure skating pads. With the addition of the leisure and hockey pads planned for the McCowan District Park these totals will increase to 53 locations, 36 hockey pads and 31 pleasure skating pads in the next few years. The distribution by former municipality is provided in Table 1 below and a complete list of these facilities is provided as Attachment 2 – City of Toronto Outdoor Artificial Ice Locations. In addition to the outdoor artificial ice rinks (AIRs) the City partners with residents interested in building and maintaining natural ice rinks for community use. Parks Forestry and Recreation provides training, equipment and access to water to these community groups. A total of 69 locations were in operation in the winter of 2013-2014, up from the 41 locations in the milder winter of 2012-2013. The distribution by former municipality is provided in Table 1 below and a complete list of these facilities is provided as Attachment 7 – City of Toronto Outdoor Natural Ice Locations 2013-2014. 2 Staff Report for Information - Indoor & Outdoor Ice Provision & Programming, 2013-2014 Table 1 - Municipal Indoor and Outdoor Ice Indoor Municipal Ice Outdoor Outdoor Municipal Board Of Natural Artificial Ice Former City Operated Management Ice Municipality Operated Winter Ice Ice Hockey Pleasure Arenas Arenas Parks 2013 Pads Pads Pads Pads 2014 East York 1 1 1 1 1 8 Etobicoke 10 11 1 4 17 5 13 4 North York 17 17 7 5 2 20 Toronto 0 0 8 11 26 23 13 21 Scarborough 9 16 1 0 1 11 York 3 3 1 1 0 5 TOTAL 40 48 9 15 53 35 30 69 1b) Commercial, Institutional and Community Ice Providers There are 18 other commercial and institutional arenas throughout Toronto with a total of 44 ice pads. The distribution by former municipality is provided in Attachment 3 ­ Commercial, Institutional and Community Ice Providers. Six of these arenas, 12 ice pads, are associated with major institutions, such as schools and universities. Although these facilities provide some service to the community, they are primarily available to the population associated with the particular institution and offer more restrictive ice time to the public. The other 12 commercial arenas have 32 indoor ice pads with some that offer children's Stick and Puck program midday during the week. These programs are unstructured practice time with full equipment for 5 to 10 hours per week. Adult shinny is also available in off prime time hours. Both children and adult programs are on a pay as you play basis. Neither the Toronto District School Board nor the Toronto District Catholic School Board provide indoor ice. There are three outdoor community ice pad providers throughout the city which provide access to leisure skating at no cost to skaters. 3 Staff Report for Information - Indoor & Outdoor Ice Provision & Programming, 2013-2014 2. Free Community Skating and Free Shinny Hockey Programs 2a) Drop-In Community Skating Leisure Skate programs are regularly scheduled drop in skating programs that are unregistered and are unstructured supervised activities designed for all ages and skill levels. Leisure skate programs are supervised by rink guards who are required to wear CSA approved hockey helmets. There are a number of outdoor rinks that provide unsupervised skate times and there will be no Parks, Forestry and Recreation staff to oversee participants. Leisure Skate schedules can be found seasonally on the Parks, Forestry & Recreation website (See http://www1.toronto.ca/parks/prd/skating/dropin/leisure/index.htm) or in the Leisure Skate brochure available at any municipal rink or civic centre. For indoor arenas that are independently run by a Board of Management, public skate times are available by contacting the arena directly. Leisure skate is offered in six different program types. Public Skate, all ages, Family Skate, adult and youth under18, Pre-School & Parent / Parent & Tot Skate, adult and children under five, Youth/Teen Skate, 13-18 years old, Adult Skate, 19 years and older, Older Adult/ Senior Skate, 60 years and older. Leisure skating is free for all ages at all outdoor artificial ice rinks and free for all ages at indoor arenas except for supervised indoor Adult Skate and Older Adult Skate. Of the 48 indoor ice locations, 39 provided free drop in community skating in the 2013-2014 season. A complete list of municipal facilities providing leisure skating including hours and participation is provided as Attachment 5 – Fall 2013 & Winter 2014 Free Drop-In Community Skate. 2b) Drop-In Shinny Hockey Shinny hockey played in a City of Toronto arena or outdoor artificial ice rink is an informal type of hockey that is mostly played with no formal rules, positions or goaltenders. Body contact and raising the puck is not permitted. Only one puck is allowed on the ice at a time. Participants under the age of 19 are required to wear a CSA approved hockey helmet with full face mask, gloves, stick and skates. Neck guards and mouth guards are strongly recommended for all participants. In City of Toronto arenas, drop-in shinny hockey is offered in four different age levels: Early Child, Child, Youth and Adult. Shinny hockey schedules can be found seasonally on the Parks Forestry and Recreation website at http://www.toronto.ca/parks/prd/skating/index.htm. Shinny hockey is free for all ages at all outdoor artificial ice rinks. Of the 48 indoor ice locations, 18 provided free drop in shinny hockey hours in the 2013-2014 season. 4 Staff Report for Information - Indoor & Outdoor Ice Provision & Programming, 2013-2014 A complete list of municipal facilities providing drop in shinny hockey including hours and participation is provided as See Attachment 4 - Fall 2013 & Winter 2014 Free Drop- In Shinny Hockey. 3. Financial Considerations of Increasing Free Shinny Hockey Programs at Various Locations Parks, Forestry & Recreation staff seasonally evaluate programming offerings in all facilities as a standard operating procedure to ensure programs are meeting community need and/or if resources can be better allocated to other higher demand programs. The review is based on usage of the programs and other expressed needs. For example, Scarborough District Community Recreation staff analyzed the 2012-2013 Leisure Skate attendance in the Scarborough District arenas and determined five program time slots at three locations (Malvern Community Recreation Centre, Centennial Recreation Centre East and Don Montgomery Community Recreation Centre) had attendance below district averages. In response, Community Recreation staff re-directed funds from the Leisure Skating operation to pilot shinny hockey programs for the 2013­ 2014 skate season at the three sites listed above for a minimum of three hours per week per location with no financial impact. The pilot Drop-In Shinny Hockey program was a success with over 1800 participants attending the program. Community Recreation Staff have identified additional demand for shinny at Scarborough Centennial Recreation Centre, Malvern Community Recreation Centre, Scarborough Arena Gardens and will be looking at schedule considerations for Fall 2014 and Winter 2015. See Attachment 6 - Scarborough District Drop-In Shinny Programs Fall 2013 & Winter 2014. 4. City of Toronto Helmet Policy for Ice Activities The City of Toronto's Helmet Policy for Ice Activities was initiated in 2002 to improve the quality and safety of our instructional hockey and leisure skate programs by developing appropriate standards and policies around helmet use, while on ice, for both staff and participants.