Skaters take in the opening day of the Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa on Wednesday.Keito Newman/The Globe and Mail
Anthony Segala has been waiting for years to skate on the Rideau Canal. When he visited Ottawa as a 12-year-old for a hockey tournament, it was unavailable for the cold-weather pastime.
Now, thanks to an earlier than usual opening, he and his family –including four-year-old Luisa– get to take part in the iconic activity as part of their winter vacation in Canada’s capital.
“You say oh, I’ll get to that some day. All these years later, we’re here and it wasn’t open,” said Mr. Segala, who lives in Massachusetts. “We’re leaving tomorrow, and I looked this morning and I said, oh my gosh ... it’s open. So we lucked out.”
The Rideau Canal Skateway opened on Wednesday, with skaters of all sizes able to glide – and fall – on a 3.4-kilometre stretch, according to the National Capital Commission, which maintains it. This will be the 56th season for what is recognized as the world’s largest natural ice-skating rink.
The dozens of people lacing up their skates included Prime Minister Mark Carney, who went in the morning according to his spokesperson Audrey Champoux.
This is the 56th season for what is recognized as the world’s largest natural ice-skating rink.Keito Newman/The Globe and Mail
The early opening will be a relief for vendors who rely on the tourism dollars generated by the Rideau Canal, as well as for locals who use it for fun, exercise or to commute to school or work.
In 2023, the skateway did not open at all. Last season, it was open from Jan. 11 to March 10, according to NCC data.
Bruce Devine, the NCC’s senior manager of facilities and programs, said the canal has opened in December only five other times since 2000. The last was in 2018, on Dec. 30.
Colder-than-usual weather allowed for the early start. The usual average temperature in Ottawa for late December is about -6, but this month it has instead hovered around the minus double digits, said Gerald Cheng, an Environment Canada meteorologist.
The daily average temperature is about -10 in January and -8.5 in February, he added, while the daily average high is -5 and -3.6, respectively.
The skateway needs an ice thickness of at least 30 centimetres and a smooth gliding surface, Mr. Devine said.
“It’s exciting news that we were able to open before Jan. 1,” he said on Wednesday. “You should see all the happy faces that we see on the canal, which is getting busier as the day goes by.” He hopes to have most of the canal’s 7.8-kilometres fully operational by next week.
The weather may not be in his favour. In about a week and a half, the region may “flirt with zero,” Mr. Cheng said, but predictions more than seven days out do not have a lot of certainty. “I cannot promise that it’s going to stay wintry all winter long, either. I think we have to play it by ear.”
Skater Mike Adams juggles on the Skateway on Wednesday.Keito Newman/The Globe and Mail
Mr. Devine said the total number of expected visitors depends on how long the skateway is open; generally, there is an average of between 20,000 and 22,000 visits each day.
The last season saw 1.1 million visits, Mr. Devine said. While it can be difficult to predict how any given season will go, he is hoping for a repeat this year.
Mr. Cheng said Environment Canada’s models suggest there is at least a 52-per-cent chance that Ottawa-area temperatures will be above normal, but a 48-per-cent chance they won’t – instead staying normal or below.
Coming off the canal, local resident Earl Arrendondo said the ice was choppy in some areas, but the experience was still fun. Originally from California, he’s starting hockey in a few weeks and teaching himself to skate.
“It’s a good, wholesome way to get the city all together,” he said, adding he plans to go again this weekend.
Patrick Duxbury and his daughter Zara agreed that the ice conditions were rough, but said they were skateable as long as participants were careful. Zara is considering skating to her classes at the University of Ottawa this semester.
“It’s a quintessential Canadian experience,” Mr. Duxbury said. “I think everyone should try it at least once.”