Grab your skates, Ottawa: the Rideau Canal skateway is opening Saturday morning.
A 4.4-kilometre stretch of the canal from the Laurier Avenue bridge to the Bronson Avenue bridge will open to skaters Saturday at 8 a.m., the NCC said late Friday afternoon.
It will mark the beginning of the 47th season of skating on the canal.
An official opening ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at the Fifth Avenue rest area on the canal.
The canal skateway receives close to one million visitors a year.
Last year, due to fluctuating temperatures, the canal was only open for 18 days, its shortest season on record.
However, the year before was the longest skating season in the canal's history. It was open for 77 days.
