Skate into action: Be a natural ice rink volunteer for the City
Maintaining a natural ice rink during the winter season can be a fulfilling experience. Apply to be a volunteer and make winter dreams come true for the community.
City services | October 21, 2025
Every winter, as weather permits, around 30 parks across Mississauga become home to natural ice rinks that provide residents with an opportunity to enjoy outdoor skating in neighbourhood parks. The City of Mississauga is looking for individuals interested in hockey, ice skating and winter sports, or residents who live near parks who can help build and maintain a natural ice rink in their neighbourhood for the 2025-2026 winter season. Through this initiative, volunteers and the community come together to stay active and enjoy winter sports that are open to people of all ages.
Rinks are built, operated and maintained by dedicated resident volunteers, ages 14 or older, who donate their time to provide a family-friendly recreation activity for their community. Eligible volunteers, when confirmed by the City, will be assigned to manage an ice rink working together with other volunteers or other members of the community.
About the Natural Ice Rink program
The City will provide volunteers with a heated rink hut equipped with a water hydrant, hoses, a spray nozzle, shovels, ice scrapers, public signage and instruction on how to build and maintain a natural ice rink. Volunteers operate the rink with duties that include making ice by flooding the rink surface and shovelling snow off the ice surface every time it snows.
Natural ice rinks are generally open between January and March depending on the weather. Flooding the rink surface requires three to four consecutive nights of temperatures under -5 to -10 degrees Celsius.
Natural rinks bring the best of the winter season together – free winter sports, open to all ages, and an ideal opportunity to enjoy staying active with friends and getting to know your neighbours.
What it means to volunteer
Volunteers will need to be comfortable working outdoors in cold temperatures, likely in the late evening any day of the week, after dark hours.
Anyone 14 years or older can apply to volunteer for the Natural Ice Rink program. If you’re interested in applying for the 2025-2026 winter season, submit an application through the City’s Better Impact volunteer portal by Saturday, November 15.
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