Frequently asked questions

Yes. There is no fee, no equipment cost and no deposit. Lunch is provided. Families pay nothing.

Not first come first served. When more families apply than there are spots, we rank applicants using our own selection system, which draws in part on Toronto District School Board Learning Opportunities Index data and the City of Toronto Neighbourhood Improvement Areas.

The application is available in eleven languages: English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, Somali, Swahili, Amharic, Hausa and Yoruba. Choose yours on the application page or under Settings, and switch at any time without losing your answers. You can also write to us in whatever language is easiest and we will work it out. Our equipment sizing guides use visuals and translated language for the same reason.

Camps have a photographer on media day and press may attend. We handle images of campers under our staff code of conduct and media policy, and we do not publish an identifiable image of a child without a recorded consent. Tell us if you would prefer your child not be photographed.

The next camp is Christmas Camp 2026. It runs for five days, for children aged five to ten, and is planned at four arenas across Toronto. There is a separate gear-fitting session before camp. Camp details.

Fill in the online application on the Apply page. It takes about fifteen minutes and covers everything, including the health form and the waiver, so there are no paper forms. Sharing a household income document is optional. Your answers save on your device, so you can stop and come back. If you cannot use it, send us a message and we will help.

No. Every child who joins Open Ice has never played hockey before. Skating ability varies and no experience is needed. A skate assessment on the first morning places every camper in a group at their level, and the First Stride group is built for children who are brand new to the ice.

Five to ten, and only five to ten. This is a beginner program and every part of it, the drills, the ice time, the coaching ratios and the equipment sizing, is built for that range. Older siblings are welcome to come and watch.

No. A full set is provided, fitted on site, and it is yours to keep permanently under the Keep Your Gear policy.

Our camps have run at Ted Reeve Community Arena in East Toronto and at Leaside Arena, where Summer Camp 2026 was held. Christmas Camp 2026 is planned at four arenas across Toronto. Horizons weekly sessions have run at Upper Canada College.

Yes. Registration, gear fitting, lunches and logistics all need people and none of them require skating.

$1,060 a child, for one camp, all in. That includes the $750 set of equipment the camper keeps. It covers one camp, not a season. We will publish the line by line breakdown before Christmas Camp 2026.

Corporate sponsorship, individual gifts, monthly giving through the Blue Line Club, and grants.

Yes. Open Ice Initiative Inc. is an incorporated not-for-profit organization in Ontario, incorporated under the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010. It is governed by a volunteer board of directors and accountable for every dollar it receives. For businesses, corporate support can typically be recorded as a marketing or advertising expense because it delivers logo placement, named program rights and media association. Confirm the treatment with your finance team; this is not tax advice.