Rideau Canal Skateway attendance drops to lowest on record
Businesses suffered during short, soggy skating season
The Rideau Canal Skateway hosted 330,000 visits this season, the lowest attendance since the National Capital Commission began keeping track in 1992-93.
The NCC closed "the world's largest skating rink" on Feb. 25, after a meagre 18 skating days — the shortest season ever.
The NCC said in a press release that adverse weather conditions had deteriorated the skating surface and ice thickness in some areas of the 7.8-kilometre skateway.
There was an average of 18,333 visits to the canal on the days it was open.
Business suffered
The short season meant fewer customers for businesses along the canal.
That includes the mobile BeaverTails shacks, among the more popular stops for hungry skaters.
The pastry makers have four locations set up on the canal during the skating season.
If this had been our first or even second year in business, I probably would be a plumber right now.- Grant Hooker, BeaverTails founder
Grant Hooker, founder of BeaverTails, said Mother Nature definitely took a bite out of his business this season.
"If this had been our first or even second year in business, I probably would be a plumber right now," Hooker said. "We would have not have been able to do make it."
Luckily for Hooker, this was his company's 36th year in business, so he's equipped to weather a poor season.
He said that despite the drop in visitors this year, he's still excited about having a business on the skateway.
"The experience on the canal is world-class. There is no other place like it," Hooker said. "Everybody is out talking and having a good time. This is our business environment."