Ted Reeve Community Arena Board of Management explains reasons for deciding to keep ice on main rink year round
By ALAN SHACKLETON
In the wake of a meeting last week in which the Ted Reeve Community Arena Board of Management voted 5-4 to stick with its decision of Dec. 2, 2025, to keep ice in the main rink during the spring and summer, the board’s chair has released a media statement explaining the rationale behind the decision.
The original decision was made at the board’s meeting of Dec. 2. At that meeting, the board voted 6-1 to keep the ice in at the main rink during the late spring and summer months.
At the board’s next meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13, Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford, a board member who was not at the Dec. 2 meeting, had made a motion under new business to have the earlier decision set aside and be reconsidered again at the board’s February meeting. However, that motion was defeated by the 5-4 vote.
In response to the Dec. 2 decision, the Toronto Beaches Lacrosse Club started a petition calling for it to be reversed as it would have a profound impact on the club’s ability to offer a local box lacrosse program this coming season. For the past three decades, the Beaches Lacrosse Club has been using the main rink at Ted Reeve during the spring and into July for box lacrosse. The club has also used the Ted Reeve Bubble pad for its activities during those months. Use of the bubble at Ted Reeve is continued to be available to the lacrosse club this coming spring and summer as part of the arena board’s Dec. 2 decision.
Three speakers addressed the Jan. 13 board meeting asking for the earlier decision to be reversed due to its impact on the lacrosse club. They spoke about the popularity of the sport, the number of young people who are members of the club and the long relationship the Beaches Lacrosse Club, which is a community non-profit youth sports organization, has had with Ted Reeve Community Arena.
In past years the Toronto Beaches Junior A Lacrosse team has also used the main rink at Ted Reeve for its games in the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL). The Junior A team is a private business and not directly affiliated with the Beaches Lacrosse Club. The Junior A team has announced it will now be playing its OJLL games at nearby Scarborough Arena Gardens.
In a media statement released on Saturday, Jan. 17, Ted Reeve Community Arena Board Chair Iain McLeod outlined the reasons for the board’s decision.
“The Ted Reeve Community Arena Board has approved a transition to a Hybrid Operational Model for 2026, featuring one ice surface year-round and one dedicated dry floor, from May to August,” said the statement.
“This decision reflects our commitment to serving the diverse recreational needs of the growing Beaches-East York community while ensuring the long-term viability of this vital City-owned facility.”
The statement included a Clarifying the Facts section on the issues at the arena.
“Recent community discussions have raised questions about the Arena’s future direction. As fiduciaries of a public asset, we wish to provide the community with the data-driven reality of this transition.”
The statement addressed a number of issues raised, first listed as “FICTION” followed by “FACT”.
Here are those items from the statement:
• FICTION: Jr. A and Lacrosse programming is being “reduced,” “eliminated,” or “kicked out” of Ted Reeve.
FACT: The Hybrid Model is a strategic investment in Lacrosse growth. By designating the Ted Reeve Bubble as a dedicated dry-floor facility for the 12-week summer season, the Toronto Beaches Lacrosse Club (TBLC) gains stability and priority. This specialization allows Ted Reeve to serve as a high-performance “Grassroots Hub,” while the new Scarborough Gardens facility provides an elite, modern environment for both Minor Lacrosse and Jr. A Lacrosse competition. Jr. A is not affiliated with Minor Lacrosse and made an independent decision to relocate to Scarborough Gardens for the 2026 season at the conclusion of the 2025 season.
• FICTION: The Hybrid Model was a sudden decision made without historical context.
• FACT: Strategic planning began years ago. The Board has been discussing the wisdom of a Hybrid Model since prior to 2022. This shift addresses the structural deficits caused by the legacy model. By modernizing now, we are protecting the facility’s future for the next generation of all athletes.
• FICTION: There is insufficient demand for summer ice in our community.
• FACT: Toronto faces a documented, chronic shortage of summer ice. Under the City of Toronto’s Relationship Framework, the Board is mandated to ensure “equitable access to all residents.” By maintaining year-round ice on the Main Pad, Ted Reeve finally meets the needs of thousands of residents—including hockey players, figure skaters, power-skating students, and other ice clients who have historically been forced to travel outside the community to find available Summer ice. Ice Prime Time averages over 96 per cent utilization, with non-prime usage reaching nearly 70 per cent due to the breadth of the market.
• FICTION: The Arena can survive on Lacrosse revenue alone in the summer.
• FACT: Dry-floor rentals are subsidized by ice users. Internally generated data analysis shows that ice revenue carries the burden of the Arena’s annual fixed costs. 2024 dry floor loss was approximately $120,000. The Hybrid Model ensures that the facility can fund its own State of Good Repair (SOGR) without relying on emergency City grants and or taxpayers.
• FICTION: The previous model – two dry floor pads – was more financially and socially responsible.
• FACT: The legacy model – two dry floors – relied on internal cross-subsidization. Ice-user revenue has historically acted as the primary funder of the facility’s solvency, effectively providing a price-break to the summer dry-floor demographic during the summer period. The Hybrid Model corrects this imbalance, ensuring that all user groups contribute more equitably to the facility’s long-term sustainability.
• FICTION: Lacrosse’s exclusive use of prime dry floor time – two pads – Monday to Thursday, (5 p.m. to 11 p.m.) is fair to the community.
• FACT: City of Toronto Equity and Inclusion mandates require multi-sport access. Public assets must serve the broad demographic of the Beaches-East York community, not just one user group. The dry floor market does not show high demand for non-prime time (7 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Historically, Lacrosse has requested Monday to Thursday evenings, leaving non-prime time and the entirety of Friday through Sunday under-utilized in both arenas. The Hybrid Model shifts the Arena from a “Single-Sport Legacy” model to a “Multi-Sport Community” model.
The media statement also included a comparison between an operational and hybrid model for the arena going forward. Here is that comparison:
Operational Model Comparison
Ted Reeve Community Arena is a unique facility in that it has two pads. In 2023 the Arena underwent an extensive SOGR renovation ($8 million) that replaced both arena pad floors, and infrastructure. New municipal arenas cost upwards of $100 million. The Board at this time attempted to have the Bubble insulated to increase the possibility of maintaining Summer ice in that facility. That proposal was rejected by the project manager despite the Board’s offer to finance the insulation and related costs independently (Approximately $800,000). The Board was able to request and was approved to have the arena floors “etched” to provide excellent traction. The addition of a floor heating system also prevents the dry floor from “sweating” or “getting wet” during dry floor activities such as Lacrosse and Ball hockey. Some user groups requested the Bubble over the Main Arena floor when requesting rentals. Feedback on the new Bubble floor was positive and preferred during the Summer months.
Sustaining ice in the Bubble is a precarious endeavour due to the lack of insulation and the R factor of the facilities cover. Unlike many Entity Arenas having two pads as opposed to one pad allows us to offer the diversity of ice and dry floor on the same site.
Hybrid Model
(1 dry floor, 1 ice pad)
• Balanced Access: Serves both ice and floor sports simultaneously during the peak summer season.
• Fiscal Responsibility: Projects an operational surplus, ensuring the Arena remains a self-sufficient asset rather than a taxpayer liability.
• Mandate Compliance: Fully aligns with the City of Toronto Relationship Framework regarding inclusion, equity, and fairness.
• Optimized Utility: Addresses past under-utilization; previous seasons saw dry floor usage of only 48 per cent of prime time in the Main Pad and 41.5 per cent in the Bubble (with only 32 per cent usage in non-prime Bubble hours). The Hybrid model maximizes facility uptime and community participation.
Historic Dry Floor Model (2 dry floor pads)
• Limited Access: Restricted the Main Pad to a single sport demographic for the summer period, excluding all other users.
• Financial Risk: Historic data shows operational deficits in the summer period, which increases the risk of annual deficits to be funded by the City and its taxpayers.
• Policy Conflict: Fails to meet City requirements for diverse community access and equitable floor-time distribution.
• Under-Utilization: Resulted in the Main Pad being significantly under-utilized during peak summer demand periods for ice.
The media statement concluded by outlining the governance and social responsibility mandate of the arena board of management.
“The Board’s decision is rooted in Fiscal and Social Responsibility. We recognize that the Beaches-East York Community is evolving, and our facility must evolve with it,” said the statement.
“Our mandate is to serve the entire community equitably. The Hybrid Model balances a deep respect for our lacrosse heritage with the emerging recreational needs of a modern Toronto, all the while protecting the Arena’s financial sustainability.
“The Ted Reeve Community Arena Board values its relationship with all user groups and recognizes the vital role each plays in our community’s fabric. We relish the opportunity to champion the growth of every sport and activity that calls this arena home. As we look to the future, our focus remains on promoting equitable access and increasing participation for all residents, ensuring a sustainable and inclusive facility for generations to come.
“We welcome ongoing, professional dialogue with all stakeholders as we implement this transition to a more inclusive, fair, and financially stable Ted Reeve Community Arena.”
In response to the Jan. 13 vote by the board, Bradford continued to question the process that resulted in the Dec. 2 decision.
“I did not feel like the appropriate process was followed leading up to the December vote,” said Bradford in a statement sent to Beach Metro Community News on Jan. 16.
“I understood this decision about summer 2026 facility use would not be made at that meeting, as did various stakeholder groups. With important decisions like this, due process must be followed and all stakeholder groups should have a chance to be heard. That is why I moved to rescind the decision and instead make it at our February meeting with ample notice to everyone. Unfortunately that motion did not receive enough support at the Board.”
Bradford said he was disappointed by the outcome of the Jan. 13 board vote on his motion. However, he said he is “continuing to work with city staff to secure suitable facilities for all user groups, including Beaches Lacrosse, for this summer.”
On its Facebook page, Toronto Beaches Lacrosse Club said it was disappointed with the board’s decision at both the Jan. 13 and Dec. 2 meetings.
“As a board we are disappointed in this result,” said the club’s Facebook post.
“You can be assured that there will be a place for TBLC (Toronto Beaches Lacrosse Club) Rep Box teams in 2026. We are working with the city and permit officers at the Parks & Rec Department to find suitable venues in our catchment for games, while still maintaining our sense of community.”
