Toronto relaxes COVID-19 rink rules as winter activities move ‘toward normal’
With the hockey season still more than a month away and the state of winter activities shifting to near-normal levels, the rink rule changes that affect both ice usage and parking at the University of Toronto’s hockey rinks have been made public.
It’s a very different position than it was when last month’s public skate was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.
The news of these changes was a long time coming, with the province announcing the hockey rink closures on March 11 only seven days before, leaving no time for a proper public hearing or the time it took for the university to make the changes.
Those who attended the public meeting on March 17 in the Rotunda of the Scarborough Centre, and who voted in favour of these changes by the close of voting, were left with no alternative but to announce these changes and begin the reopening of the rink spaces.
While the University of Toronto and the city have already opened the skating areas to the public, the city has yet to announce when the hockey rinks will resume skating. In the meantime, we’re seeing the city continuing to allow non-essential businesses to operate until further notice, which means we’re seeing the hockey rinks being used as training spaces for children.
University of Toronto rink closures
On March 17, the University of Toronto announced its hockey rink closures. As the city and province have already announced these closures, the university followed suit by also opening its rink spaces on March 19.
In addition to these changes, other university employees have also reported their workplaces have been closed completely. Staff members have been asked to work from home as much as possible, and have been asked to continue with their mandatory daily routines.
“We understand the importance of hockey and our student-athletes,” said U of T Vice President of Student Affairs Paul Litchfield in an email to the campus. “The decision with regard to the