REVITALIZING PUBLIC SPACES FOR EVERYONE
Converting an underutilized space is more than just optimizing an opportunity to generate revenue in the off-season. For municipalities, the activation of public spaces is a cornerstone of community development that impact and inform a city’s ongoing economic resilience throughout the rest of the year. Nurturing “people-first” programming serves as a positive multiplier and is exactly the approach the City of Surrey embarked upon in 2025.
In early 2025, the City’s North Surrey Recreation Centre near Surrey Civic Plaza was demolished to prepare for a new mixed-use, multi-tower complex that will eventually add commercial, retail, institutional, and restaurant space to the area. The project had been in development for some time. However, the demolition event especially highlighted the engagement vacuum there.
Alignment and Year-Round Impact
Building strong and cohesive communities in an increasingly digital world is a uniquely modern challenge with very real economic consequences. Keeping spending local is one thing, but supporting an environment that gets people offline and organically connecting in person is also a matter of recreation and public health.
At its core, how does a city revitalize its public spaces to encourage impactful engagement?
In joint effort of multiple city teams, including the Council and city’s Culture division, new projects were measured against existing programming and alignment with a broader effort to transform the downtown hub.
This exercise led the city to eventually land on its first outdoor ice skating rink This exercise led the city to eventually land on its first outdoor ice skating rink as its pilot for activating the city centre. Ice-Canada Rinks was then contracted to deliver, install, and guide operations.
The goal, according to Mayor Brenda Locke, was to activate a typically quiet winter area in the plaza and “invite people to stay a little longer and come back more often.” She shared that the city aimed to provide “a dynamic destination [of] shared memories” for an equally dynamic community of families, students, and seniors.
With the Surrey Tree Lighting Festival and Holiday Market entering its 15th year, debuting the rink as an expansion of the festival not only aligned and leveraged current programming, but also encouraged foot traffic with a focus on longer
dwell time and local discretionary spending.
The Multiplier
The rink ran for 12 weeks, and just two days after its season ended, the city released a media statement.
The rink pulled in more than 43,000 guests over the course of its run. Public enthusiasm and feedback already had the city approving funds for the rink's return the next winter, along with plans to expand it as an annual civic tradition. Attendance exceeded the City's initial projection of 30,000 at the festival’s peak by 43% and solidified city leadership’s confidence in declaring the pilot project as an “incredible success.” It fulfilled the City’s goal of city centre activation and established a baseline metric for future project considerations.
Despite the Lower Mainland's notoriously rainy winters, the ability of the Ice-Canada Rinks system to maintain consistent quality ice enabled a season without operating closures, which increased foot traffic and new and returning visitors a reliable reason to come back while also economically contributing to surrounding businesses during an otherwise slower time of the year.
Return and Accolades
The results extended beyond the City's own metrics, gaining provincial recognition to receive the 2026 Program Excellence Award from the B.C. Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA) three months after the season ended.
The success of the pilot project was lauded by BCRPA CEO Katie Fenn as “a model of creative placemaking” and highlighted the city's effective demonstration of how accessibility and inclusion (through free admission, low-cost skate rentals, and enhanced on-site staffing) helped to strategically create and sustain a safe and welcoming space for everyone to “move, play, and connect.”
In addition, the patented Ice-Canada Rinks aluminum system backed the city's wider sustainability goals. Owing to more efficient floor freezing capabilities certified to ISO standards, operating the ice rink demanded 40% less energy than other rink systems.
All of this ultimately validated the city’s efforts in pursuing innovative programming with direct and positive community impact, as well as serving to position the City of Surrey and its success as a model for other local governments and organizations.
Ice-Canada Rinks Inc. is situated on the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish Nations. We acknowledge their enduring connection to this land and express our gratitude for the opportunity to operate here. We are committed to fostering a respectful and collaborative relationship with Indigenous communities as we move forward.
- 131-11782 Hammersmith Way Richmond, British Columbia V7A 5E3 Canada
- SALES@ICE-CANADARINKS.COM
- (604) 835-9423
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