Non-Toronto residents can no longer reserve spots on city's skating rinks

Non-Toronto residents will no longer be able to reserve spots on city skating rinks.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Mayor John Tory said the city received complaints from residents who felt it wasn’t fair that residents not from Toronto could reserve spots on the outdoor rinks.

“Certainly, I’ll say first preference and exclusive preference to the reservation system should go to residents of the city, and so that’s what we’re doing,” Tory said.

The City confirmed to Daily Hive that starting February 3, non-Toronto residents can not book skate reservations online.

“We know how important Toronto’s outdoor rinks are to residents this winter, and we welcome feedback on the skate experience. We’ll continue to streamline and improve the process while ensuring alignment with provincial regulations and public health guidelines,” they said.

Since the City’s 54 outdoor rinks opened in late-November, more than 735,000 online reservations have been made for skating.

Staff found that fewer than 2.5% of online skate reservations are made by non-Toronto residents.

However, for walk-ins, residency is not checked — only contact tracing information, such as a phone number, is required.