The Sens Rink of Dreams is one of two locations where the City of Ottawa has decided to stop supervision of outdoor skating. The Lansdowne Skating Court also loses its rink attendants. Heather Botham, Centretown NewsThe City of Ottawa’s highest profile skating rinks, The Sens Rink of Dreams at City Hall and the Lansdowne Skating Court in the Glebe, will go unsupervised this winter for the first time due to city cutbacks.
In the past, the two rinks had staff on site to ensure the safety of skaters and daily maintenance. Now, like the city’s many natural ice outdoor rinks, there will be no supervision.
The decision was made by the city department of recreation and culture to save money.
Rink attendants were part of a pilot project, according to department general manager Dan Chénier. The Sens Rink of Dreams attendants cost approximately $20,000 a season, he said.
The idea behind the pilot project was to see whether supervision was necessary at “peak times,” he said. The rinks were staffed by attendants on Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
“Five seasons of operation under the pilot program has identified that the Rink of Dreams can operate like other outdoor rinks without on-ice supervision,” Chénier said in an email.
Part of the justification, he added, is that there were only six minor injuries reported in 2015-16 and fewer than 10 in the seasons before.
Chénier said skaters should be responsible for their own safety. “Residents can ensure they are proficient skaters by taking lessons. They should take appropriate safety precautions to minimize risk to themselves and their children by wearing helmets appropriate for skating activities, and should be familiar with the facility safety rules and regulations,” he said.
Non-refrigerated outdoor rinks across Ottawa are typically unsupervised, although some communities arrange to have rink attendants at certain times of the week to monitor activity.
He said people should follow the signs and regulations available at the rinks. For the Sens Rink of Dreams, there is also emergency assistance available at City Hall, which is next to the rink.
Louis Belanger, who was interviewed recently near the unopened rink, said there should be supervision. “I think they should have someone there at all times,” he said. “There are small kids and there’s a lot of new immigrants as well who don’t know how to skate.”
Belanger, who works as communications director in the federal government, moved from New York to Ottawa in February, and is originally from Quebec.
He said the outdoor rinks in New York where he skated, like Bryant and Central Park, were always supervised. The attendants would help people if they fell or were injured.
He said supervision helps families and can prevent accidents. “If I’d be a parent and I know if my kid would be out with his friends, skating around, I would feel better if there was someone checking on security.”
He added: “A lot of young people that know how to skate, sometimes want to impress their friends. They go fast, they cut people (off) and that’s when stupid things happen.”
The Sens Rink of Dreams was opened outside City Hall on Jan. 25, 2012, with Mayor Jim Watson at the ceremony. The 12,500-sq.-ft. ice surface makes it one of the largest outdoor rinks in Canada, according to the City of Ottawa.
The rink was funded by the Sens Foundation, Hockey Canada and the City of Ottawa.
The rink is supposed to be open (weather-permitting) every day from late November to March. It opened on Dec. 5 last year, even at temperatures as high as 7 C, due to its refrigeration system.