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
A 'tragedy that can't be measured': North Bay's forever chemical problem is also the rest of Canada's
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Questlove was not happy with Drake and Kendrick Lamar's beef: 'Nobody won the war'
While some may have been excited and/or amused by the diss-track feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, the man many consider to be an elder statesman of hip-hop appears less than enthused about it.
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
A renewed Russian offensive on Kharkiv in northeast Ukraine forces some 1,700 civilians to flee
Russian forces began a renewed ground assault in Ukraine's northeast, killing and injuring several people and forcing more than 1,700 civilians to evacuate from the Kharkiv region, officials said Saturday.
Israel orders new evacuations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah as it prepares to expand operations
Israel ordered new evacuations in Gaza's southern city of Rafah on Saturday, forcing tens of thousands more people to move as it prepares to expand its operation and adding that it is also moving into an area in northern Gaza where Hamas has regrouped.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.