Ottawa’s Rideau Canal Skateway is reopening today, but visitors are being urged to leave their blades at home.
The National Capital Commission is reopening about one-quarter of the world’s largest outdoor skating rink today at noon, but it’s advising guests the ice is currently only safe for walking.
While the ice is thick enough for crowds, it says an overnight snowfall means crews couldn’t flood it overnight and the surface is far too uneven for comfortable and safe skating.
Today’s partial reopening will involve a stretch of the Canal running from Pretoria Avenue to Bank Street.
An even smaller section of the rink opened Jan. 24, but only for four days before warm weather forced it to close again.
Balmy temperatures kept the canal closed all winter last year, marking the first time in its 53-year history that it was out of commission for a whole season.