No Skating on Avon River, Stormwater Ponds

While we recognize the need for outdoor exercise, particularly during the pandemic, we urge residents to please stay off the Avon River/Lake Victoria, as well as the City’s stormwater ponds.

These bodies of water are not monitored for the purpose of winter recreation activities like skating, and may be dangerous.

Please remember that open water is unpredictable, and is never completely safe due to a number of factors, including the following:

The thickness of the ice on the surface changes with fluctuating temperatures
Moving water under the ice – especially near the R. Thomas Orr Dam where the water is deeper – can reduce the thickness of the ice
Ice “creeps” or deforms over time
Ice can be weakened by salt runoff or other impurities
A layer of snow can hide cracked or weak ice, or even open water

Thank you for your co-operation.