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TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley hosts First Responders Appreciation Family Skate with Boots on the Ground

January 29, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Freezing temperatures didn’t stop the Caledon Community from celebrating our First Responders this past weekend.

In collaboration with Boots on the Ground, a non-profit peer support organization for First Responders, TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley hosted a First Responders Appreciation Family Skate where attendees could not only enjoy the brand-new rink at Osprey Valley but also meet our local First Responders.

Emergency vehicles were available for the public to tour, and First Responders were seen skating alongside various First Responder Mascots, such as Caledon’s very own Sparky!

“It was wonderful to see people brave the cold and come out to enjoy the day. We had a large contingent of firefighters, paramedics, police officers and others from the first responder community along with their families enjoying the skating rink, firepits and hot chocolates,” says Brian Decker, Director of Marketing and Communications with TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.

In attendance that day were representatives from Caledon Fire, Peel Paramedics, the OPP, Crime Stoppers, and Boots on the Ground. 

Boots on the Ground’s mission is to provide anonymous, confidential, caring and compassionate peer support to First Responders across the Province of Ontario.

They operate an anonymous helpline providing confidential and anonymous peer support to First Responders across the province, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“There’s a lot of admiration from our team for the work the Boots on the Ground organization does as a peer support resource for first responders,” says Decker.

He shares that their goal was to raise awareness of the organization’s work, along with creating a fun, community-focused atmosphere where the public could come out and enjoy the skating rink and outdoor amenities.

“We have really enjoyed hosting events like these at our skating rink this winter. When we initially put plans together to build the skating rink, it was very important to us that we create something that people in our community could come out and enjoy. We’ve received great feedback from events like the First Responders Appreciation Day and expect we’ll continue to host events like this going forward,” says Decker.

         

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