OTTAWA -- The City of Ottawa is scrambling to find heated trailers for outdoor skating rinks across the city this winter.
Just weeks before the start of the skating season, the Community and Protective Services Committee was told the city is still short heated trailers for seven outdoor community rinks.
The rented trailers are located at 23 rinks across the City of Ottawa to house equipment for the rinks, and to provide a heated place to lace up the skates.
Recreational, Culture and Facilities Department General Manager Dan Chenier said the outdoor trailers are part of a "legacy program" to provide a "heated bunker" for the rink equipment, including areas to store snow blowers and pipes. Newer parks have cement bunkers for the equipment.
Chenier says there is a shortage of trailers this year due to COVID-19.
"This year, because of COVID, starting in September our supplier started to tell us there would likely be a shortage of trailers."
Chenier notes large construction projects are renting more trailers to encourage physical distancing on site during the COVID-19 pandemic
Councillor Diane Deans says she was informed this week that two rinks in her Gloucester-Southgate ward would not receive the heated trailers.
Chenier explained how staff decided where to remove the trailers.
"We looked at sites that had trailers and also had a heated bunker, because to remove a trailer from a site that doesn't have a heated bunker essentially kills the rink for the season because there is no heated location to keep the equipment," said Chenier.
He notes two trailers have been found over the past week, and staff are "still trying" to track down enough trailers for the rinks.
The shortage of trailers also means some of the trailers at the rinks may be smaller this year, with only room for two people at one time.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, all community rink volunteers will be encouraged to increase cleaning in the trailers, focusing on high-touch points.
