A $5.6-million skating rink being built on Parliament Hill to celebrate Canada 150 will stay up and running until the end of February, it was confirmed on Thursday.
Heritage Minister Melanie Joly made the announcement on Twitter shortly after 1 p.m.
Details surrounding access to the rink were unveiled on Wednesday in Ottawa, with some questioning why a rink costing taxpayers millions would only be open for three weeks.
READ MORE: Skating rink on Parliament Hill set to cost $5.6M, passes must be reserved online
Officials at a technical briefing explained that it was important not to restrict or limit access to Parliament Hill for longer than necessary as MPs return from their holiday break in January.
That hurdle has now apparently been cleared.
But it’s unclear how the change announced on Thursday will affect the project’s overall budget.
“I’ll have the chance to give more details about that later,” said Joly on Thursday afternoon as reporters repeatedly asked her to outline the new cost to taxpayers.
It’s also unclear if the procedure for obtaining the free passes onto the ice may change. Those passes are expected to be made available 48 hours in advance of each skating day starting on Dec. 5. The rink officially opens Dec. 7.
Up to 70 per cent of the original three weeks of rink time is expected to be dedicated to public skating. The remaining time between Dec. 7 and Jan. 1 has been set aside for demonstrations, a peewee hockey tournament and other special events yet to be confirmed. That schedule is expected to remain the same.
Visitors can learn more at http://canada150rink.com.
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