WATCH: Why Mississauga is Destroying our Roofed Rink

https://youtu.be/dCwiFl5N5pE

 

ACTION: Email Mayor, Staff, and Councillors NOW for Replacement ROOFED RINKS as PROMISED!

https://bit.ly/MayorStaffCouncillorsEmail

 

To: The Mayor of Mississauga and Members of Council

We, the undersigned, hereby submit this petition for Council's consideration to: 

Mississauga: Build TWO Outdoor ROOFED RINKS (replacing Chic Murray) for Skating/Hockey Before Election 2026 and keep it open all day, every day (like Celebration Square), offering FREE skating, stick and puck, and shinny programs.

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NOTE: Change.org asks for money to promote petition on their network, however, no need to do so.  If I need financial support, I will ask directly via my updates.

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Embracing Winter by skating and playing hockey OUTSIDE is a Canadian tradition.

Only a ROOFED RINK works in Mississauga because above +3C a LOT:

* blocks sun = cheaper to cool, usable to +10C; without, +3C
* blocks rain, sleet, snow = usable November to March
* natural rinks = typically 2-3 weeks use (global warming)

 

Mississauga was first to build a ROOFED RINK in 2004 and now first to destroy wasting over $6M in assets!

Toronto copied in 2013 for $3.5M building Greenwood.

Brampton copied in 2018 for $2.5M building Gore Meadows.

 

However, the City of Mississauga believes hockey is declining because of "changing demographics" or New Canadians, which is a lie, because hockey is expensive and why we need free community rinks.

You see, the City was trying to rent the rink after 3PM to make some cash rather than let kids use it after school for free. Adults after work could not use it either. Brampton, Toronto and Oakville let residents use outdoor rinks for free. Celebration Square is free.

Guess what? - no one rented it and locked the public out. Then they blamed New Canadians for not using it. Can you believe this??

So, in 2018 the City SECRETLY decided to get rid of this valuable outdoor amenity replacing it with another SWIMMING POOL. Worse, they NEVER HAD A PLAN OR BUDGET TO REPLACE IT!

 

Mississauga now has a narrow short skating path in Port Credit, a skating oval at Celebration Square and a small tennis court rink at Woodhurst Heights with no boards. So, 1 low quality pad to play hockey on for 750,000 of us with restricted hours.

Compare with Toronto having 55 (1:60,000).

Brampton has seven (1:105,000).

Oakville has one (1:225,000).

 

The City said we can use volunteer rinks as substitute but typically last 2-3 weeks!  Look how unusable they usually are!:

https://youtu.be/gS_1jamUYSI

 

City Council needs to understand Southern Ontario is the hockey factory of the Earth!  Almost half the NHL comes from Canada and, of them, half from Ontario getting half the points meaning “cream of the crop!"

Hockey is expensive so kids need to try it for FREE outside with their friends and if they like it THEN parents can feel comfortable investing in league play.

Can you imagine locking kids off soccer fields and baseball diamonds?  Where are they going to play building character, social skills, talent and pre-emptive health care by getting them away from video games, phones, movies and junk food sitting on the couch??  Or worse, getting into trouble and having to spend five times as much on policing. 

Any reactionary promise to build a lesser quality uncovered rink years into the future is poor governance of our recreational assets and the City deserves better.

 

Please sign this petition and contact your Councillor asking for TWO ROOFED RINKS in Mississauga before Election 2026!

You can email your Councillor using the template provided here:

https://bit.ly/MayorStaffCouncillorsEmail