The weather this time of year is known for being unpredictable, and although the warm seasonal temperature has been melting the leftover snow around the city, the cold is expected to come back for a few final blasts of winter. However, Jennifer Sugden from the City of Airdrie says just because the cold insists on hanging on, that doesn't mean the outdoor skating rinks around the city are doing the same. 

Sugden, who's the Water Operations Program Coordinator for the City of Airdrie, says the outdoor rinks around the city are no longer being maintained by the city and storm ponds around Airdrie were never recommended for skating. 

"The storm ponds around Airdrie consist mainly of the runoff from what's on the road. Meaning the salt and gravel used to melt ice on the roads is flowing into the ponds."

Alongside more ice-melting products flowing into where the rinks are, weather plays a big factor in ice safety too. According to Sugden, because the outside temperatures have remained above -10 Celcius for at least 7 days consecutive days, the city no longer maintains the ice rinks to ensure their safety.

Because of fluctuating provincial health restrictions, Airdronians found themselves skating on the outdoor rinks more than usual, as it landed within regulations and could safely be enjoyed. Sugden says eyeballing the ice isn't the best way to determine if a rink is safe to skate on, as there's a lot happening underneath the surface.

An official statement from the City of Airdrie was also put out regarding ice rinks around the city.

"Due to warm temperatures, measurements will no longer be provided this year for our natural ice skating surfaces at Nose Creek, Summerhill and Waterstone. As always, stormwater ponds remain unsafe for skating and are not intended for this use. The ice surface of a stormwater pond may look solid, but water flows change quickly underneath."

The city also noted that last year, Water Services pulled hockey nets, picnic tables, and benches out of stormwater ponds throughout the City. They remind Airdonrians that this takes up a lot of staff time and can impede the effectiveness of stormwater infrastructure.