BeaverTails celebrating 45 years on Rideau Canal Skateway

An iconic and uniquely Ottawa business, known across the country and the world as being quintessentially Canadian, is celebrating decades of being one of the Rideau Canal’s favourite winter treats.

BeaverTails, with its humble upbringing in the Ottawa Valley, is celebrating 45 years of its hot chocolate and fried dough with new upgrades to the huts on the canal. According to the press release from the company, the “BeaverMobiles” were installed on Nov. 7.

The occasion is also being marked with a new five-year agreement between the company and the National Capital Commission (NCC), ensuring the longevity between the two partners for the skateway.

“We are equally grateful to the countless skating families, friends, and visitors who have shared so many winter memories here — enjoying not only the Skateway but also our signature treat,” Grant Hooker, President of BeaverTails Ottawa Incorporated, said.

The mobiles will be found at the Rideau, Concord, Fifth and Bronson kilometres on Canada’s largest skating rink. To bring the huts on the canal, NCC staff are closing the lane along Queen Elizabeth Driveway.

Intermittent closures will last until 10:15 a.m. on Monday, the organization said on its website.

BeaverTails said it hopes the two-month-long construction of the mobiles will bring a “sparkle” to the canal while also helping update the older infrastructure.

“We are very pleased to remain a part of the winter magic that the Rideau Canal Skateway brings to our city,” Hooker said.

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Winter outlook: Cold and snow to start

A cold and snowy start to the winter is expected, but it could turn milder and wetter come January across eastern Ontario, according to CityNews’ winter weather forecast.

Meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai says the first half of the winter is going to look very different than the second half, mostly due to La Nina, the cooling of the Pacific Ocean’s surface temperatures, which is one of the biggest drivers of North American winter.

“The La Nina advisory that’s in place now is going to impact the jet stream and our winter, but things are likely going to change,” she said.

The amount of snow in Siberia also plays a role in determining how the winter pans out, including impacting the polar vortex.

The official forecast: lots of cold, lots of snow from November to January. However, after that, things could change.

“As we go from January to March, a lot of that cold is going to be pulled back up north and further west, so Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the prairies getting into the bulk of that cold along with Northern Ontario,” said Ramsahai.

However, the winter forecast in Canada is always subject to change.