The Rideau Canal’s 47th season is underway.
The green flag officially went up along 4.4 kilometers of the skateway Saturday morning. The stretch is between the Laurier Avenue Bridge and the Bronson Avenue Bridge.
Skaters can get to the ice by access points between Laurier and Bronson. The public is asked not to venture onto the closed sections of the Skateway.
The National Capital Commission says it will continue to work to open the other sections of the canal.
"It is close to opening. Tonight, again, the team will watering the ice," says Bruce Devine, the Senior Manager of Operations for the National Capital Commission. "There is one passage that we need a little ticker ice and then the trucks will be able to go by and install the equipment and then we will open."
There were only 18 skating days last year due to weather, the lowest number of days on record. The National Capital Commission is optimistic the cold weather in the forecast will help make this season significantly longer. Already, the canal is opening nine days earlier than last year.
"It will be challenging about mid-week, but it seems this Winter compared to last Winter is much, much colder."
The longest skateway receives an average of 1 million visits every year, or approximately 20,000 per day its open.
Kirsten Payne and her family are ready for when the full 7.8 kilometers open. They've already equipment their stroller with little skis to make skating easier.
"They're quite good," Payne says. "They are really good on the bumpier terrain, so we don't get caught."
Minister Catherine McKenna and the CEO of the National Capital Commission Dr. Mark Kristmanson were on hand Saturday to officially open the canal at 10:30, 2.5 hours after the canal opened to skaters.
