The Great Skate Project

Great Skate #42 took place on February 20, 2017 at Regent Park . It was a holiday Monday, and I had spent the previous days north of the city, where there was two feet of snow on the ground. But in Toronto, the streets were snow-free and the sky was a brilliant blue. The Regent Park rink was renovated a few years ago as part of the neighbourhood's redevelopment, which converted sub-standard social housing into a mixed-income community that includes recreation and cultural amenities. The rink itself is a basic hamster-cage hockey pad, next to a spacious and well-equipped rink house. Despite the sun and mild temperatures, the ice was in good shape. I was one of a handful of skaters, who also included a father and son doing hockey drills at one end of the rink, and a few fellows doing steady laps like me. Alongside the rink is a soccer field, and a game was underway while we skated. Beyond that, kids were shooting hoops on the basketball court. There was a definite sense that th...