Freezing cold temperatures clear the way for outdoor rink openings on P.E.I.

Cold temperatures on Prince Edward Island are a welcome forecast for those managing the province's outdoor rinks — and those hoping to skate on them.

The City of Summerside has been waiting for consistent cold weather to build ice for its outdoor rinks, said Robbie Rankin, the city's acting director of community services.

"We usually try to get it going late December, early January. We find starting before that, we have that mild break every couple of weeks and we just get it built and we use it and lose it," Rankin said.

But with recent cold temperatures on P.E.I., rink building is now well underway in Summerside and Charlottetown, according to officials with both cities.

"Typically we need a little bit of a snow base, which we now have. And we need a... good week of cold temperatures," Rankin said.

"We flood basically 12 hours a day when we get this weather."

The three outdoor rinks in Summerside should be up and running in time for this weekend, Rankin said.

Outdoor skating season starting later

In Charlottetown, the outdoor rink at Founder's Hall is the only one that is currently ready for skating.

It was opened to the public on New Year's Eve, thanks to an artificial system that helps the ice freeze faster, said Frank Quinn, manager of Charlottetown's parks and recreation department.

Quinn said the city is looking into building another rink with that system to provide P.E.I.'s capital city with another outdoor rink that can open earlier in the season.

"I remember when I first started with the city, the rinks used to open before Christmas," he said.

"The temperatures were a lot more consistent. We had a lot more snow. So, now that the temperatures have changed, we're not getting the same amount of snow, [so] rinks don't open until the new year."

The City of Charlottetown is on schedule to open the rest of its outdoor rinks for skating in mid-January, Quinn said.