Ice Dragon Boat Festival cancelled as Rideau Canal Skateway remains closed
The ice dragon boats will not be taking to the ice in Ottawa this winter.
Organizers announced the cancellation of the Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival, which was scheduled for next weekend on the Rideau Canal Skateway.
Despite cold temperatures in the forecast over the next week, organizers said they had to make the decision to cancel the festival.
"Organizers received official word from the NCC that the races cannot go ahead as planned and are aware that this is the first time in recorded history that the Rideau Canal Skateway won’t be open by Feb. 3," the Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival said in a statement.
The sold-out races were scheduled to welcome over 100 teams, with 70 per cent of participations travelling to the capital from across Canada, the United States and around the world.
Organizers looked at holding the races at an alternate location or rescheduling the event, but "quickly exhausted all possible options" to hold the event, the festival said in a statement on Friday.
"The unique size requirements of the race course have eliminated organizers’ ability to relocate the races to another venue and, after consulting with participants, determined that rescheduling to a later date was not viable," the festival said.
"Participants who registered for the ice dragon boat races will receive a full refund."
The Rideau Canal Skateway has not opened for its 53rd season. The latest opening date for the world's largest skateway is Feb. 2, which was in 2002.
The coldest stretch of the winter is in the forecast for Ottawa this week, with temperatures in the minus double digits through Friday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.