Ok, so it’s not exactly waterfront news, but there’s an article in today’s Star about the effects of global warming on Toronto’s natural outdoor skating rinks.
As winter temperatures appear to be rising, skating on natural ice may be a thing of the past, something we remember, the way we remember wearing scratchy woollen socks when we go out in the cold instead of smooth, modern polypropylene ones.
Whenever I look at archived pictures of wintertime Toronto, I’m amazed and saddened by the pictures of people skating or curling on the Don River and Grenadier Pond. I know lots of people joke happily about the warmer Toronto winters these days, but the Star article nicely captures the beauty and charm of an old-fashioned frigid December day. The loss of biodiversity and habitat are obviously much more pressing environmental matters, but it’s also sad to see the disappearance of local cultural tradition.
4 comments
What is that picture?
It’s from the West 8 renderings released by the TWRC from thw winning design sketches on the waterfront. It could be located at the Keating Channel, but not quite sure of its location.
the same is happening in Europe with the rising of temperatures. when i came from holland in 1984, people were still skating on ponds and canals in the winter – a rich tradition, decades old. Now, however, its a rare treat. the winter months are far from cold enough to host skaters on the ice
(if there is any at all). It sure is a sad, as it was a big part of my, and other people’s upbringing
Quite sad indeed. Toronto has a wonderful system of artificial-ice skating rinks but they cannot replace the exhilaration of skating on frozen ponds… The chilly Canadian winters seem to be a thing of the past, at least in this part of Canada. 🙁