Residents will be lacing up their ice skates at Riverside Park by the end of 2025 at a new outdoor skating facility. Council has approved the final location and concept design, shown below:

This project was first approved by Council in April 2023, to introduce new recreation opportunities to the City’s downtown core and to increase utilization of Riverside Park during the winter months. The project is fully funded by a $5.4M grant provided by the Province’s Growing Communities Fund.

The skating facility project follows additional enhancements that were made to the park as part of the Riverside Park Improvements Project that began in 2021, including a state-of-the-art accessible playground and spray park, a new year-round change room and washroom building; flood mitigation and beautification work; paved and widened portions of the Rivers Trail; and an accessible beach mat for persons requiring mobility assistance.

Detailed design and site regulatory approvals were carried out in 2024 with construction during the 2025 summer season. Construction is not expected to impact resident's use of the spray park or playground, and will have minimal disruption to green space.

Financial Implications

The project was provided a $5.4M budget through the Province’s Growing Communities Fund.

Next Steps

Detailed design and site regulatory approvals have been carried out and construction will begin in spring 2025.