Mel Lastman Ice Skating Rink

3.5 stars for sure:
— good size for a rink, especially since it’s not crowded
— indoor area with lockers where you can put your skates on/​off
— bathrooms
— music in the evenings
— right by subway (north york centre station)
— not crowded
— surrounded by benches
— nearby starbucks for post-​skating hot chocolate
— the ice was pretty freshly zambonied when we went
— surrounded by a nice park area
I work nearby so I go after work or during my lunch hour. If you’re going skating with your friends, if it’s not too out of the way, it’s a nice place to go since it’s super accessible and not crowded.

Mel Lastman offers a tiny artificial staking rink in the winter to serve the people of Willowdale. Its nice because it is not usually crowded. I am unsure if very many people know that is exists or maybe people like going to a bigger skating rink? The only problem about this place is you do run into the idiots who think they own the whole rink and will try and take over the place, just have to try and ignore them. Other then that there isn’t much to offer here. They play music at night, they could improve on that and there are some lockers. I am sure that nobody is going to come here unless they live in the area.

This little artificial outdoor rink sits nestled at the back of Mel Lastman Square. Obviously it’s open during the winter only, starting in November. You can go indoors to put on your skates and there are lockers to put your stuff. The rink is small but it’s ideal for a quiet skate with the family. That said, there are some real doeheads who like to pretend they’re on Battle of the Blades and fly around the ice. You’re not that good, buddy! I didn’t feel so bad when one guy missed his edge and went flying into the concrete barrier. But I digress.
What this rink could use is a refreshment stand at rinkside. It does have lights at night and music that runs on a loop. If you stay long enough you’ll hear «We Built This City (on Rock ‘n’ Roll)» twice during your stay.

good things:
— not crowded
— music during evenings
— upnorth — convenient for us northern ppl of toronto
— located few meters away from subway
— has lockers and warm change room with benches
— zamboni machine cleaned every 1−2hrs or so
— starbucks right near by so you can run there for coffee/​hot chocolate
not good:
— super tiny skating rink
— no rentals/​sharpening
Basically I love it cuz it’s so close to where I live but I doubt I’d do a trip all the way to North York if I would live downtown just to skate on this rink.