Our mission
Open Ice Initiative exists to break down the barriers to hockey by providing free programming, equipment and coaching to underprivileged youth in Toronto's highest need communities.
Hockey teaches teamwork, perseverance and discipline. It builds confidence and it creates lifelong memories. For too many children in Toronto, the cost of equipment, registration and travel puts all of that out of reach before anyone touches the ice.
Talent was never the barrier. Cost was.
What we do
We run free Open Ice Camps for youth from Toronto's highest need neighbourhoods. Campers get roughly three hours of ice per day plus dryland training, professional on-ice coaching, free lunch, and a full set of equipment that is theirs to keep permanently under our Keep Your Gear policy. Families pay nothing.
How we choose who we serve
We do not run first come first served. We use our own applicant selection system, built in part on Toronto District School Board Learning Opportunities Index data and the City of Toronto Neighbourhood Improvement Areas, to reach the highest need communities: Regent Park, St. James Town, Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park, Oakridge. The spots go to the children facing the greatest barriers, not to the families with the fastest internet connection.
Who runs it
A 17 member student executive runs the organisation, supported by on-ice volunteers and professional coaching staff. Andrew Adair founded Open Ice in 2025 and is its president.
Why it matters
Research from the Aspen Institute finds that children from low income families are far less likely to participate in organised sport than their higher income peers. The UNICEF report Getting into the Game links sport participation to better academic performance, mental health and social development. We are not trying to produce professional players. We are trying to make sure that the door is open.
