Out-of-towners to be barred from making skating rink reservations in Toronto
Posted January 27, 2021 10:08 am.
Last Updated January 27, 2021 12:05 pm.
The City of Toronto is taking measures to prevent what is being called ‘skate tourism.’
Starting Feb. 3, non-Toronto residents will no longer be able to book skate reservations on the city’s rinks online.
Skating rinks in the city have remained open through the winter lockdown and as a result Toronto has seen an uptick in out-of-towners travelling to rinks across the city.
Approximately 18,000 of the 735,000 online skating reservations made this winter have been from people outside the city.
The restrictions will only effect anyone who tries to make reservations. The city says their employees will not be checking the residency of walk-on skaters, who due to a high-rate of no-shows, end up representing nearly 30 per cent of the skater who hit the ice.
