City's 2022 winter rec program includes expanded list of activities as capacity limits lifted

TORONTO -

Winter in Toronto is shaping up to be a lot "more fun" this year with the return of previously cancelled outdoor activities and the easing of capacity limits at outdoor skating rinks, Mayor John Tory says.

Tory officially unveiled the city's winter recreation program for 2022 at Greenwood Park on Thursday morning where he highlighted the expanded list of activities that will now be permitted, including shinny, a more casual form of hockey that the mayor said was "benched" in previous years due to the pandemic.

"It is another indication of the payoff from the hard work people have been doing to follow the public health guidelines, to get themselves vaccinated, that we are able to announce a winter program that is getting itself back towards normal for the winter of 2022," he said.

"Things are getting better. This winter is going to be much different than last winter and hopefully that means it is going to be more fun."

Online reservations for outdoor skating will be scrapped this year after the province announced that capacity limits would no longer be required.

Thirty-eight of the city's rinks will open for the season on Nov. 27 and another 13 are slated to open on Dec. 4, weather-permitting. While vaccination is not mandatory for those who use outdoor ice rinks, visitors must complete a COVID-19 screening form in advance.

"Our concern for safety is every bit as acute as it was last year and the year before but adapts... to the fact that many of these public health restrictions are being lifted," Tory said.

"The roster of programs from this year includes everything from skating to tobogganing to skiing to disk golf to snow loops to winter tennis."

Tory said even with public health restrictions last year, the city saw 800,000 visits to outdoor rinks last season.

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist, said increasing capacity at skating rinks will “make life a lot easier” for Torontonians this winter.

“Many people in the city had some difficulty signing up for outdoor ice. We know that for example activities outdoors like skating pose exquisitely low risk for COVID-19 transmission,” he told CP24 on Thursday morning.

“We know that the vast majority of eligible people in the city have been vaccinated for COVID-19. This is a very reasonable thing to do. I think it will make life a lot easier for many people in the city as well to enjoy the out of doors this winter and still do so in a very safe environment.”

RESERVATIONS NO LONGER NEEDED

In a news release issued Thursday, the city also said that starting Nov. 29, online reservations will no longer be offered at city-run fitness centres, weight rooms, indoor playgrounds, or for leisure swims at indoor pools.

“In line with the provincial government's lifting of capacity restrictions in many sport and recreation facilities, online reservations will soon no longer be required,” the news release read.

“This morning, the last batch of reservations for these city programs will be made available at 8 a.m. for the next week. During this week, walk-in spaces will be added to increase capacity.”

Reservations will continue to be offered for lane swimming and Aquafit but additional walk-in spaces will be added.

The city first introduced online reservations for amenities back in 2020 after public health restrictions in place to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 significantly reduced capacity at recreational facilities.

Last month, the Ford government announced that capacity restrictions would be lifted at most venues where proof of vaccination is required.

“While the need for reservations has been lifted and capacities are increasing, Ontario law requires proof of vaccination to enter indoor sports and recreation facilities, such as gyms and pools," the city said.

"When visiting premises requiring proof of vaccination, people may show either the electronic version of the certificate with a QR code or a paper copy.”