Ontario man agrees to remove backyard hockey rink
CTV
A Markham hockey buff who built a massive backyard ice rink without permissions or permits has reluctantly agreed to remove the sprawling surface, following a years-long dispute with the city and his neighbours.
A Markham hockey buff who built a massive backyard ice rink without permissions or permits has reluctantly agreed to remove the sprawling surface, following a years-long dispute with the city and his neighbours.
Martin Ross installed the boards-enclosed ice pad during the pandemic in the back half of his Unionville property – an amenity, he admits, that is “not your typical, two-by-four boards with a tarp thrown down” home rink.
"I care about kids," said Ross, who runs a hockey school in the GTA. "I care about kids getting out there and getting better at hockey. That's my main thing, and especially, my two kids. "
Ross, though, drew the ire of a group of neighbours with adjacent yards when he cut down numerous mature trees to erect the structure – sparking a string of court challenges over whether he had a right to the rink on a heritage-designated property.
"This gentleman has completely destroyed what was a gorgeous backyard full of greenery that supported privacy and quiet for the surrounding neighbors, " Ross' former neighbour, Grant Aitken, told CTV Toronto.
"Without permits, he went ahead and tore down massive hundred-year-old trees, and has turned it into a parking lot. "
