Petition to bring back skating at Harbourfront Centre

Harbourfront Centre recently announced that the iconic skating rink on the waterfront will be permanently closed to make way for a new year round plaza – without any public consultation. The petition closes March 22, 2023 - please sign before the closing date.

This season our skating rink will be closed. We are commencing construction to update and refresh this area of the Harbourfront Centre campus. Unfortunately, as a result of construction there will not be an operational skating rink this season. We look forward to welcoming you back to the reimagined space once construction is completed in the summer of 2023.

Petition to the House of Commons

Whereas:

• The federal government understands that arts and culture strengthen our bonds and that infrastructure improvements enable strong, dynamic and prosperous communities;

• That’s why it invested in Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre - a key cultural centre that contributes to the vitality of Toronto’s waterfront and is an annual destination for five million visitors from across Canada and the world;

• On August 21, 2021, the government announced that Heritage Canada would provide $20 million to Harbourfront Centre over two years for urgent capital work;

• The investment was to be used for priority capital improvements and repairs to update performance spaces and venues, supporting access to arts, culture, and recreation, providing opportunities to showcase Canadian diversity and richness;

• The Centre regarded the funding as a significant capital investment vital to its continued hosting of a diverse range of artists and communities for almost fifty years and entertaining the public on Toronto's waterfront; and

• Work on the Harbourfront ice skating facility, intended to be repaired and upgraded, did not happen. Instead, this major attraction for community residents and visitors for decades, was ripped up without public consultation.

We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to

1. Undertake a review of its financial commitment to Harbourfront Centre and its obligations;

2. Advise the Centre that it has deviated from its initial goals; and

3. Request that the Centre consult area residents on its new priorities and how it can maintain the skating facility.

Sign the petition