A 2.3-kilometre section of the Rideau Canal will open to skaters on Saturday morning, kicking off the skateway’s 50th season, the National Capital Commission (NCC) announced Friday.
The section opening at 8 a.m. on Jan. 18 is between the stairs near the Pretoria Bridge and the stairs at Bank Street, farther south.
The news will no doubt please residents and visitors who have been waiting for the popular winter attraction to open amidst somewhat mild temperatures this winter.
The NCC, in fact, got some traction earlier this week on social media when it released a bilingual rap video — borrowing the tune from Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” — to explain why the 7.8-kilometre skateway hadn’t opened yet.
Temperatures dropped this week, however. Friday has been frosty in the national capital and Saturday is expected to be a frigid day as well.
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Environment Canada is forecasting a high of -13 C on Saturday, with the wind chill making it feel more like -28 C in the morning and -22 C in the afternoon.
With a snowfall warning also in effect for the Ottawa area this weekend, eager skaters may want to hit the ice earlier than later, before heavy snow and strong winds hit the capital on Saturday afternoon and evening.
Government officials have scheduled a 10:30 a.m. press conference to mark the skateway’s opening at the intersection of Queen Elizabeth Driveway and Fifth Avenue, near the Canal Ritz restaurant.
The Rideau Canal Skateway has been managed by the NCC — which manages federal lands and assets in the National Capital Region — since the 1970-71 inaugural season.
The skateway got nearly 1.5 million visits during the 2018-2019 season, exceeding the previous record, according to an NCC spokesperson.
How 2020’s opening day compares
The latest date the skateway ever opened was Feb. 2, 2002, during the 2001-02 season, according to statistics provided by the commission. (Coming in second and third for late openings are Jan. 26, 2007, and Jan. 25, 2008.)
The canal also opened on Jan. 18 in 1971, the canal’s first season, and in 2013.
The earliest the skateway has ever closed is Feb. 13, 1984, according to the NCC’s numbers.
Conversely, the latest it’s ever ever closed is March 25, 1972. The 1971-72 season also holds the crown for lengthiest season on record: 90 days.
Depending on temperatures, the NCC may close or reopen the skateway during a season. The longest amount of time the canal stayed open without closing was a 59-consecutive day stretch in 2014-15.
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