Outdoor rink in north Pickering to be demolished to make way for a playground

Pickering Council’s 10-year parks and recreation master plan is calling for the demolition of a full-sized outdoor rink in the hamlet of Claremont, to be replaced by a playground.

The original plan was to replace the outdoor rink with a covered multi-use pad for floor sports and sport camps but that recommendation, one of more 100 in the master plan, has been changed to a playground to meet changing community needs.

The outdoor rink at Claremont Memorial Park was in use during the first two pandemic winters but didn’t open last season because of extended bouts of warm weather.

The playground, which will be built by end of the year, was approved in the 2024 budget, with no funding in place for a rink replacement. The earliest date for funding for an outdoor rink in north Pickering would be 2027.

The master plan also calls for replacing the ice pads at Don Beer Arena with three new pads in the Seaton community but the arena near Brock Street and Bayly Street will be saved for now, with more study required before it can be decommissioned.

The new pads in Seaton will be built by 2029, the report declared.

Other recommendations in the report call for the development of up to 19 new outdoor pickleball courts by 2034 and a refrigerated skating rink and water feature in City Centre Park.