Moss Park Arena was established in 1974 and is located at 140 Sherbourne St. in Ward 13, Toronto Centre. Moss Park Arena is an important part of the community’s infrastructure, and it is critical that the programming and operations of the Arena are aligned with and collaborate with the City to meet City priorities and the needs of the community it serves. It is also important that the Arena has the capacity and appropriate governance structure to deliver effectively on its mandate set out by City Council to operate the arena in a manner that meets local community needs for indoor ice recreational activities, while having regard to the objective of being cost effective in its operations. Prior to and since amalgamation, there have been eight indoor ice arenas in the City of Toronto operated by Boards of Management, including Moss Park Arena. These Boards of Management were established by the former City of Toronto and the former Borough of East York under the authority of the former Municipal Act, the Community Recreation Centres Act, and their predecessors. In 2017, Toronto City Council adopted the City of Toronto Relationship Framework with Arenas Boards setting out the governance structure, mandate, operating principles, policies and reporting requirements, and operating guidelines for the Arenas. I strongly believe that local access to recreation should be equitable, providing safe and high-quality indoor ice sports recreational facilities to all local neighbourhood residents, organizations, and user groups. All community members, regardless of socioeconomic status, should have access to free programming and drop-in opportunities at Moss Park Arena and, unfortunately, that has not been happening for a very long time. As Ward Councillor appointed to this Board of Management by City Council, I recommend City Council adopt this request to have the City administration complete an assessment with the intended outcome that Moss Park Arena become part of the City’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation portfolio, and to determine an appropriate implementation timeline.
No projects traced to this item yet.