Chapters across Ontario
Open Ice is expanding. Beginning in 2027, student-led chapters at Ontario high schools will run free Open Ice camps in their own communities, supported by our twenty-member Headquarters Team and our adult administration team.
The model
One standard, many communities
Every chapter is a high school team: student leaders, a faculty advisor who signs off, and adults supervising on the ice. Each chapter runs at least one Open Ice camp a year, built to the same standard as our flagship camps in Toronto.
- A full camp week on the ice, about 12 hours of ice time
- Professional coaching leading every session
- A full set of equipment every child keeps
- Food every day
- Families chosen by financial need, never first come first served
- Children who have never played hockey before
Who runs it
Supported by the whole organization
Our twenty-member Headquarters Team works alongside the founder and our adult administration team, under the oversight of our volunteer board of directors. It is responsible for making sure every chapter across Ontario runs to the Open Ice standard, and it runs the flagship camps in Toronto that every chapter camp is modelled on.
The team manages locations, training and operations across the network, and a member of it serves as each chapter's Chapter Liaison.
What every chapter gets
Students lead. Open Ice Initiative Inc. carries the contracts, the money and the standard behind them.
The Open Ice name and brand
Every chapter camp carries the Open Ice name, the kit and the standard families trust.
Training and a playbook
The complete camp playbook: ice booking, gear fitting, schedules, safety rules and family communication.
Insurance and contracting
Open Ice Initiative Inc. handles insurance, arena contracts and partner agreements, so students never sign contracts or hold money.
Pooled gear purchasing
Full sets of equipment bought together across the network, so every dollar goes further.
A dedicated Chapter Liaison
A member of the Headquarters Team supports every chapter from application to the last whistle of camp.
A restricted Chapter Fund
Money a chapter raises is held for that chapter by Open Ice Initiative Inc. and spent only on its camp.
Timeline
The first cohort
Five steps from application to the first chapter camp on the ice.
November 2026
Applications open
High schools across Ontario apply to form a chapter. A student lead and a faculty advisor apply together.
15 January 2027
Applications close
Every application is reviewed by the Headquarters Team and the administration team.
1 February 2027
Chapters selected
The first cohort of chapters is chosen and welcomed into the network.
February to March 2027
Training
Chapter leaders train with our team: camp operations, safety, fundraising, partnerships and family outreach.
July 2027 onward
First chapter camps
Chapter camps run from summer 2027 through March Break 2028, each to the Open Ice standard.
What students gain
What students gain
Running a camp means running a real organization. Chapter leaders learn budgeting and fundraising, partnership building, logistics, public speaking, leadership and teamwork, and they see the difference it makes on a child's face on the first morning on the ice.
Bring Open Ice to your school
Applications open in November 2026. A student lead and a faculty advisor apply together. Register your school's interest now and we will write to you when they open.