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Public Skating at Dufferin Park
The 2005-2006 winter rink season is from December 10, 2005 to early March, 2006. There are two skating pads: one is always for pleasure skating, (until 9:00pm, then shared with shinny), the other is always for hockey (except Sunday 10am-6pm for pleasure skating only).
Hours of clubhouse operation
Rink clubhouse (food, washrooms, and change area): Monday to Saturday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays: 10 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.
The clubhouse is open to everyone. The wood stove is usually lit, there are toys and books for kids and adults, and tables for playing checkers and chess and cards. The "zamboni snack bar" serves hot soup, mini-pizzas, sandwiches made with park bake-oven organic bread, fruit juice and pop, coffee, hot chocolate, and various specials from the park farmers' market. Tea is always available free of charge. Suggested food prices are posted, but if adults want to pay more, or less, that's fine too. All proceeds go to park improvements. Working for food in lieu of cash is also fine and is common for kids who are hungry but don't have cash.
Permits
Seasonal permits
On Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays there are seasonal permits booked, but only after the rink house closes at 9 p.m.. One-off permits
One-off permits...
...are available (for $79 each, or free for youth) on Fridays and Saturdays after 9 and Sundays from 7.30 to 9. If the ice is snowy, the permit is free (and we lend you rink shovels if you want to clean it yourselves). Call the park at 416 392-0913 to get your name in, or e-mail mayssan@dufferinpark.ca.
Shinny hockey
Free. Same hours as the rink clubhouse except Sundays. There is a (strictly enforced) age schedule. (If you ever see the wrong age group on the shinny ice, do us a favour and notify the rink staff right away.)
On Tuesdays from 9 to 11 there is open women's shinny (free). Sundays from 5-6 pm there is the family shinny seasonal permit, and on Sundays from 6 to 7.30, Lawrence Barichello will once again offer his "learn to play shinny hockey" program for adults. For more information about this call the rink at 416 392-0913.
Pleasure-skating
Always freely available. Before 9 p.m. there is NO shinny hockey on the pleasure-skating side, EVER. After 9 p.m., skating is unsupervised. Then it's like skating on a pond: shinny hockey often swamps out the pleasure-skating, and people use the rink on their own responsibility.
The large rink lights turn off after 11 p.m., and then the rink is locked. The rink is unlocked at 8 a.m., and the rink house opens again at 9 p.m., seven days a week.
Parking
The best place to park is east of the rink on Dufferin Park Avenue (at the north boundary of the park). You have to walk west a short distance along the pedestrian walkway at the north side of the rink. Or you can park at the Dufferin Mall across the street. Their underground parking has lots of spaces and after skating, if you wish, you can go to Wal-mart, Toys R Us, No Frills, or a choice of other stores carrying the latest fads.