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Rideau Canal Skateway welcomes its 1st visitors of the winter

Skaters flocked to a four-kilometre stretch of the canal Saturday to take advantage of a day with calm winds and mild temperatures.

A 4-kilometre stretch opened Saturday, to great enthusiasm

Gabrielle Huston · CBC News ·

Rideau Canal’s opening day draws a crowd

1 day ago
Duration 1:09
A four-kilometre stretch of the Rideau Canal Skateway between Bank Street and Laurier Avenue opened to skaters on Saturday morning.

The Rideau Canal Skateway kicked off its 2025 season Saturday, with skaters flocking to the ice to take advantage of a day with mild temperatures and calm winds.

A child gets help with their boot on an outdoor skating rink.
A mother helps her daughter put on her boots after a long skate. She told CBC that it was also her four-year-old son's first time on the ice, but he didn't last as long as his sister. (Gabrielle Huston/CBC)

A four-kilometre stretch opened Saturday between Bank Street and Laurier Avenue. 

If weather conditions allow, the National Capital Commission (NCC) is expected to open more sections of the 7.8-kilometre skateway over the coming days.

People in line on the Rideau Canal at a BeaverTails kiosk.
'The Rideau Canal and BeaverTails are synonymous here in the city of Ottawa,' one BeaverTails employee told Radio-Canada. 'People don't go skating without getting a hot chocolate and BeaverTails, usually.' (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Three people share a hot beverage on an outdoor skating rink.
But if you don't want to pay for your warm treats, you can always bring a thermos of something to keep you going. (Gabrielle Huston/CBC)

This is the earliest the skateway has opened since December 2018.

Last winter, the NCC was able to get a portion of the skateway opened, but had to close it repeatedly before permanently shutting things down on Feb. 25.

In 2022-23 the skateway didn't open at all for the first time since the NCC started clearing the ice in the early 1970s.

An adult smiles at a child skating on an outdoor ice rink.
Countless young kids were out on the ice Saturday, with many getting help from trusted adults. (Gabrielle Huston/CBC)
A small child pushes a baby in a stroller on the Rideau Canal skateway.
Five-year-old Abigail T. gets a push in the jogging stroller from her three-year-old brother Harrison. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
A child sits on the ice of an outdoor skating rink, holding the hands of two adults.
Some kids, meanwhile, were content to sit and watch the action. (Gabrielle Huston/CBC)
Dozens of people are seen from above skating on a frozen canal.
If the cold weather holds, the NCC says further stretches could be opened in the days ahead. (Nicole Williams/CBC)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gabrielle Huston

Gabrielle is an Ottawa-based journalist with eclectic interests. She's spoken to video game developers, city councillors, neuroscientists and small business owners alike. Reach out to her for any reason at gabrielle.huston@cbc.ca.

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