As your City Councillor, I have the honour of sitting on the Leaside Memorial Community Gardens (LMCG) Board of Management. I’m excited to share that the City is delivering a major capital improvements project at our beloved rink to better serve the residents of Leaside and surrounding neighbourhoods. As of the writing of this article, significant progress has already been made:
- -The existing concrete slab of Ice Rink B has been removed, with preparations for a new refrigeration system and refrigerant lines well underway.
- -The roof replacement is nearly complete, with structural reinforcements finalized and only finishing touches remaining.
The scope of work includes:
- -Upgraded dasher boards with enhanced safety features, such as soft caps on edges of boards and safety acrylic glass.
- -Modernized change rooms and washrooms, with improved accessibility features.
- -Renovation of the William Lea Room (banquet hall) and snack bar.
- -Enhanced lighting and emergency lighting throughout the entire facility, including in the William Lea Room and change rooms.
Once complete, the new refrigeration system will allow the arena to have ice on both pads for 12 months a year – expanding the availability of public skating times and rink access. These enhancements will significantly improve the user experience for over 3,000 youth athletes who call the arena home – including the Leaside Skating Club, Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association, and the Leaside Hockey Association.
In addition, improvements to the William Lea Room will serve community members and organizations that use the space for events year-round – including my office! On Nov. 25, I will be hosting a community Town Hall at the LMCG from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Visit RachelChernosLin.ca/events for more details or to register.
The project is expected to be complete in January 2026, but the snack bar is anticipated to reopen in October and the William Lea Room by November. For more information, visit toronto.ca/leaside-memorial-gardens-arena-improvements.
