Full 7.8 km of Rideau Canal Skateway opening this weekend

Thanks to the consistently cool temperatures this week, teams from the National Capital Commission (NCC) are able to open the last 400 metres of the canal this weekend.

“Get out and skate!” the NCC said in a post on X, accompanied by a video of multiple staff members dancing.

Skaters can be out on the full length of the canal by 8:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Over the first weekend, a 4.0-kilometre stretch was able to welcome people, and after a drop in temperatures, an additional 3.4-kilometre section was opened days later. The only portion that wasn’t ready was the ice right downtown, which NCC says has unique differences compared to other areas of the skateway.

“The downtown section of the canal is traditionally more challenging due to stronger currents, warmer water temperature and road salt introduced from nearby driveways, overhead bridges and storm drains,” Valérie Dufour, spokesperson from NCC, told CityNews in an email.

NCC credits a lot of its strategy to maintain and flood the ice to its partnership with Carleton University. Dufour said that while the organization adapts to climate change, it along with experts at the school, are trying new techniques.

This comes just as a polar vortex is heading to the nation’s capital next week, good news for ice-making but possibly bad news for those needing to bundle up more when outside.

On Sunday an airmass is set to bring bitterly cold winds dropping the temperature to a low of -20 C, persisting with -25 C on Monday.

“The winds shift and a cold arctic air starts to plunge south through the lower great lakes and some of the coldest temperatures and most bitter windchill we’ve seen all season is about to move in,” Denise Andreacchi, weather specialist for CityNews, said.

She noted that the polar vortex is expected to keep temperatures “consistently” cold throughout the rest of January. Some of the lowest temperatures are set to hit early next week.

“The upcoming cold snap is great news for the Skateway,” Dufour said.

And despite the frigid air, it’s likely many people will think the same.

More than 20,000 people flocked to Canada’s largest skating rink on opening day. The NCC said that by the end of the weekend, more than 85,000 people visited.

In 2024, the skateway was open for a total of 10 days between Jan. 21 and Feb. 25 before warm weather closed it for the season. During the 2023 season, the canal didn’t open at all — the first time in its 54-year history.