Accessible outdoor rink in Calgary achieves gold certification
Despite the temperature hovering around -20 C, it's time for hockey players to slide onto the ice at Alberta's first accessible outdoor rink.
The Parkdale Community Rink in northwest Calgary is ready for its first full winter skating and hockey season.
It was built with accessibility for sledge hockey in mind.
"I think it's super important to have an accessible rink because outdoor hockey is for everybody," said project manager John Butterwick.
"When people show up, they show up with their families, their friends and they're all different ages and abilities. To have a rink that's specifically designed for accessibility has made a huge impact on the community," he said.
The Parkland rink has now officially received the "Certified Gold" rating from the Rick Hansen Foundation's accessibility certification program.
The rink has a long list of accessibility features, including wider entry gates, clear rink boards to allow players and spectators to watch while in their sleds or wheelchairs and accessible change rooms and washrooms.
"Having a rink like this that's fully accessible here in Calgary is actually huge for players like myself," said Troy Clemmer, a local sledge hockey player who plays on several teams to try and get as much time on the ice as possible.
"Having that outdoor rink and feeling that rush and that cold air makes it that much more fun, too."
Several sledge hockey teams have already booked the rink for weekly practices and shinny.
"For me personally, it's really great because it gives me another opportunity to grow my skills. It's another place to do that," said Shane Mott, another sledge hockey player who hit the ice on Thursday.
The community volunteer group who helps clear the snow and work on the ice hopes to have it fully open by this coming weekend.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.