One Quebec city is considering giving up on one of the icons of Canadian winter, the outdoor ice rink, and replacing it with plastic.

The mayor of Beaconsfield on Montreal's West Island said Sunday that warmer winters mean residents get only 10 to 15 days of skating on the ice rinks.

"Our blue collar workers work like dogs [to lay down an ice surface on a rink]. They just get it down and then it rains, or warms up," said Mayor Bob Benedetti.

Residents were invited to try skating on thin sheets of plastic Sunday, and one young expert likes the idea.

"It's not a slippery as regular ice," said 13-year-old Julia Rafferty, who plays hockey and ringette.

But the idea of being able to skate for 12 months of the year means she would give thumbs up to any plan to create a plastic rink.

Francois Bilodeau is licensed to sell the U.S.-made, plastic-ice panels in Quebec.

He said the panels require little maintenance, and can last for 20 years. Afterward, it can be recycled, said Bilodeau, adding the cost is on par with refrigerated, artificial-ice systems.

Beaconsfield will decide next summer whether plastic ice is a better option than a refrigerated rink, Benedetti said.