Skating is back on! 3.8km section of Rideau Canal re-opens

As of 8 am Thursday morning, Thursday, January 28, a 3.8-kilometre section from Somerset Street to the Bank Street Bridge will reopen to skaters. This section was opened on Saturday, January 23 to launch the season.

The NCC Ice Safety Committee has deemed that this section of the Skateway is safe for skating. Other sections of the world’s largest skating rink will open as soon as ice conditions are safe and weather permits. The public is asked not to venture onto closed sections of the Skateway.

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 .