TORONTO

Last chance to lace up: Toronto to close 23 outdoor rinks today

CTV Toronto Published Sunday, February 22, 2015 8:43AM EST

An outdoor rink is seen from the CTV News chopper on Friday, Feb. 20, 2015.

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Despite the deep chill currently gripping Toronto, the city will close nearly two dozen outdoor ice rinks for the season today.

Toronto had initially planned to close 35 of the city's 52 outdoor skating rinks on Sunday.

But thanks to donations from two corporate donors, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and Green for Life, an additional 12 rinks will stay open for another month.

That means a total of 29 rinks will remain operational until March 22.

It costs approximately $4,500 per week to keep each rink open.

Toronto Mayor John Tory said the city has tracked, over the years, the number of people who use the rinks, and it typically "starts to drop off" as March approaches.

"It’s not that they just picked an arbitrary date," he said earlier this week. "But I think this year, given the weather, I think we should have a second look at exactly when these close down."

The weather forecast calls for temperatures below zero all week, including a low of -22 C today. The greatest high of the week will come next Saturday, when the mercury is expected to climb to -6 C.

If you're still hoping to lace up your skates one last time, here are the 23 rinks that will close by the end of the day: