GFL withdraws $100K sponsorship to keep some city rinks open, Tim Hortons steps in
12 rinks will remain open another four weeks under new sponsorship
A few days after it was initially announced, Green For Life Environmental (GFL) has "voluntarily withdrawn" a $100,000 sponsorship to keep a dozen city skating rinks open for another four weeks.
Concurrently, Tim Hortons has agreed to takeover the sanitation company's role in paying for the rinks, Mayor John Tory announced on Tuesday. The coffee chain will give a $100,000 sponsorship to keep rinks open, along with a donation for the same amount from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Foundation.
Thirty-five of the city's public skating rinks were set to close on Friday, which Tory thought was peculiar since such cold weather remains. So a last-minute, $100,000 donation from GFL was announced on Friday to keep 12 of those rinks open for another month.
On Tuesday, the company announced it would not give the sum of money.
Questions about corporate sponsors
City staff "initially told" the mayor's office the deal was acceptable, but that has changed. There is now some concern about GFL's bid on contracts with the city, mainly the garbage pickup contract scheduled for negotiation this year.
Coun. Gord Perks raised that concern about MLSE Foundation, the other sponsor for the rinks. "We have policy in place to be sure there is no benefit," he said.
He wants to see that policy applied to the rink sponsorships.