Skaters have access to a longer chunk of the Rideau Canal Skateway as of 8 a.m. Friday, the National Capital Commission (NCC) says.
The agency has opened an additional one-kilometre section of the outdoor skateway between the Bank Street and Bronson Street bridges.
The latest update means skaters now have access to 3.7 kilometres of the 7.8-kilometre canal rink.
The NCC opened the first 2.7-kilometres of ice surface — located between the Pretoria and Bank Street bridges — to the public on Dec. 30, kicking off the skateway’s 49th skating season.
Other sections of the skateway will be opened “as soon as ice conditions are safe and weather permits,” the NCC said in a release.
Anyone looking to skate on the Rideau Canal can check the skateway’s ice conditions using the NCC’s online interactive map.
The NCC asks residents and visitors to stay off the ice on the sections of the skateway that remain closed.
The Crown corporation, which has managed the Rideau Canal Skateway since 1970, says the skateway receives close to one million visits every year, on average.