This past Saturday morning representatives from The Daniels Corporation, MLSE, TCHC and Hockey Canada were on hand to celebrate the official opening of the rink and adjacent changing room building/field-house in Regent Park. Attendees of the event included Remo Agostino, Vice President of Development at The Daniels Corporation; Bud Purves, Chair of the Board at TCHC; Ward 28 Councillor and Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell; Michael Bartlett, Executive Director of MLSE Foundation and Chris Bright, Executive Director of Hockey Canada Foundation, pictured right-to-left in the image below.

(R-L) Remo Agostino, Bud Purves, Pam McConnell, Michael Bartlett and Chris Bright, image courtesy of MLSE 

After remarks, the first official puck drop for the revitalized rink was then held at centre-ice, after which members of the Regent Park got the chance to participate in a community skate with Toronto Maple Leafs alumni like Wendel Clark, as well as members of Canada’s 1993 and 1994 Gold Medalist National Junior Teams.

Puck drop at the newly opened Regent Park Athletic Grounds hockey rink, image courtesy of MLSE

In recognition of the impact that the much-improved rink will have on area youth, the morning event kicked off with the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey development coaches leading a Learn To Skate clinic for 40 pre-registered children from the surrounding Regent Park community. This skate was followed by remarks from various members of the organizations that are working together on TCHC’s revitalization of Regent Park.

"Skating is one of Canada’s great pastimes. This revitalized rink will provide the Regent Park community with an opportunity to gather and learn to skate or even improve their skating skills,” said Mayor John Tory. “This is another great example of how we as a City can collaborate with outside partners to improve facilities and services for residents of Toronto. Thank you to the MLSE Foundation, Hockey Canada, Toronto Community Housing, and The Daniels Corporation for making this rink revitalization a reality."

Skating rink at the Regent Park Athletic Grounds, image by Jack Landau

The rink is the first of three sporting spaces to open at the Regent Park Athletic Grounds, which is also set to include an artificial turf soccer/cricket pitch and a basketball court once construction is completed later this year. 

Future soccer/cricket pitch at the Regent Park Athletic Grounds, image by Jack Landau 

A large portion of the funding for the Athletic Grounds' rink and fieldhouse elements came from the Hockey Canada Foundation, who invested $300,000 in the project. “Today’s rink opening is just one more example of how our partnership with MLSE Foundation, the City of Toronto and The Daniels Corporation is helping create community spaces in Regent Park that the entire city can enjoy,” said Bud Purves, Chair of the Board of Directors for Toronto Community Housing. “Toronto Community Housing is home to brilliant young minds and budding athletes. By providing opportunities for these youth, we are building a better city for everyone.” 

Changing rooms building at the Regent Park Athletic Grounds, image by Jack Landau 

“The opening of the hockey rink in partnership with Hockey Canada Foundation is an exciting, tangible display of the work we’re proud to be doing in Regent Park,” said Michael Bartlett, Executive Director, MLSE Foundation. “With Toronto Community Housing, The Daniels Corporation and the City of Toronto, we’ve been able to work closely with the community to develop a space that will engage youth and give them the opportunity to play. I’m thrilled to be able to open the refurbished rink in time for residents of Regent Park to enjoy the space with their families over the holidays."

Changing rooms building and rink at the Regent Park Athletic Grounds, image by Jack Landau

We last took a look at the 2.8-acre/1.1-hectare Regent Park Athletic Grounds sports facility back in November, when work on the facility's ice rink and BBB Architects-designed change room building were moving along quickly and backfilling work was ongoing for the sports field. 

Changing rooms building and rink at the Regent Park Athletic Grounds, image by Jack Landau

Once completed in Fall 2015, the City of Toronto-operated and maintained sports facility will become an integral element in Toronto Community Housing’s continued revitalization of the area. The MLSE Foundation led facility is being developed in partnership with Toronto Community Housing, The Daniels Corporation and the City of Toronto, and will add to the 600 Toronto Community Housing rental units and over 2,000 market condominium units created by The Daniels Corporation as part of the multi-phased re-make of the area.

Additional information and renderings of the completed project can be found in our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Projects & Construction Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.