Portion of Rideau Canal opening this weekend
Posted Jan 9, 2025 03:08:44 PM.
Last Updated Jan 9, 2025 04:19:18 PM.
Sharpen the skates, bring the warm jackets out and prepare for a delicious beaver tail and hot chocolate.
A part of Canada’s largest skating rink is opening this weekend.
In a social media post, the Rideau Canal Skateway said that Saturday Jan. 11 a 3.6-kilometre section of the canal will open for eager skaters.
The section is between Somerset Street and Bank Street. People can lace up their skates starting at 8:00 a.m.
“After a mild start, winter kicked into high gear over the last week,” the National Capital Commission (NCC) said in a press release. “Temperatures are expected to remain cold over the next several days, which will help open more sections of the Skateway as soon as ice conditions allow.”
The deep freeze in the nation’s capital has allowed the NCC to flood the canal since Jan. 4 to speed up ice conditions.
Before it opens, ice samples must reflect good quality clear ice that meets standards for safe public skating, explained the NCC. Conditions are monitored multiple times per day and the decision to open the skateway is made only when the ice is considered safe.
“Come out for a skate and enjoy the best that winter in our beautiful nation’s capital has to offer,” Tobi Nussbaum, CEO of the NCC said.
Services will be available at the Firth access points, including skates, sleighs, tricycles, and skate sharpening.
This comes after a tough 2024 skating season where the canal opened for four days in January before closing for over a month. The year prior, it was the first time in the 50 years history that the skateway did not open.
