Entire Rideau Canal Skateway (minus Bank to Bronson) re-opens Tuesday morning

As of tomorrow, February 9 at 8am, 7.4 kilometres of the Rideau Canal Skateway will be available to skaters.

A 0.4-kilometre section between the Bank Street Bridge and the Bronson Avenue Bridge will remain closed as the ice is still too thin. The public is asked not to venture onto this closed section.

The 46th season of the Rideau Canal Skateway was officially launched on Saturday, January 23 when the section from Somerset Street to the Bank Street Bridge opened. Ice Conditions ** and the Rideau Canal Skateway ** The National Capital Commission (NCC) Ice Safety Committee deemed that a 4.3-kilometre section of ice between the National Arts Centre and the Bank Street Bridge and a 3.1-kilometre section between the Bronson Avenue Bridge and the Hartwell Locks have reached the required thickness and is safe for skating.

The NCC’s Rideau Canal Skateway team plans to open the remaining section of the world’s largest skating rink as soon as ice conditions are safe and weather permits.

The Rideau Canal, a National Historic Site of Canada and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is owned by Parks Canada. The Skateway portion, close to downtown Ottawa, has been managed by the NCC during the winter months since the 1970–1971 season.

The 7.8-kilometre Rideau Canal Skateway welcomes an average of 19,000 visits every day that it is open.

For more information about the Rideau Canal Skateway, please contact the NCC at 613-239-5000 , 613-239-5090 (TTY), 1-800-465-1867 (toll-free) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), visit the NCC’s website at ncc-ccn.gc.ca/skateway , or follow us on Twitter @NCC_Skateway or Facebook . Throughout the season, recorded information about skating conditions can be obtained by calling 613-239-5234 .