Last hopes for Rideau Canal Skateway quickly fading

It looks increasingly likely that for the first time in more than 50 years, there won’t be skating on Ottawa’s world-famous Rideau Canal.

Officials have not yet made a final call on the skating season. The National Capital Commission, which maintains the ice, signalled Tuesday they are still holding out hope.

"Persistent above average seasonal temperatures and current ice conditions will prevent us from opening the #RideauCanal Skateway this week," the NCC tweeted. "We’ll reassess conditions at the end of the week."

But with record-warm temperatures on the way for Wednesday and Winterlude set to end this weekend, the last hopes for the canal’s 53rd season are fading fast.

"Look at it," said Denise Wong, gesturing to the snow-covered surface. "It’s a warm, beautiful day. … I don’t think it is going to open this year, it is kind of sad, actually."

"Not a chance," said John McGrath. "I think they should call it."

Since the canal first opened for skating in 1970, there has never been a winter without it. The latest-ever opening before this year was on Feb. 2, in 2002.

Apart from a brief two-day polar vortex in late January, temperatures this year have been above-average. The NCC says the canal requires at least 10 straight days of temperatures below -10 C to get the ice thick enough for skating.

The longest such streak this year is four days, which has happened twice.

On Wednesday, the forecast high is 10 C, which would make it the warmest Feb. 15 in Ottawa’s history. The previous record for that day is 6.7 C, which happened in 1954.

There’s also a 70 per cent chance of showers, which are usually anathema to building a skateable ice surface.

The NCC says crews have been doing all they can to get the ice ready for skating, with crews flooding the ice surface on colder nights. But there simply haven’t been enough of them.

Persistent above average seasonal temperatures and current ice conditions will prevent us from opening the #RideauCanal Skateway this week.

We’ll reassess conditions at the end of the week.

— Rideau Canal Skateway (@NCC_Skateway) February 14, 2023

The lack of a skating rink may be the most extreme example yet of a growing trends of an increasingly later seasons.

The skating season has opened before Jan. 1 only six times in the last 26 years, compared to 19 times in the 26 years before that.

The canal-less winter is starting to get some international attention. National Public Radio had a story on the weekend about it being too warm to skate on the world’s largest skating rink.

Steve Ball, president of the Ottawa-Gatineau Hotel Association, said the canal's ongoing closure has affected the number of visitors to the city.

"It's certainly been softer on the weekends. The main attraction is definitely skating on the canal around Winterlude," he told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron on Tuesday.

Ball, who said he skated on the canal 40 times last year, said local hotels aren't hitting the numbers they did in 2020, the last time Winterlude was held. But the hotels are still busy with group travel and people in town for other reasons.

And he remains optimistic that Family Day weekend, which is often a sellout, could still be busy with leisure travellers who book last-minute. Such travellers are often a large portion of visitors during Winterlude, he said.

"Our fingers are crossed that we're going to get a bump this weekend," he said. "But is the expectation it won't be as great as 2020? Absolutely. Without the canal, that's definitely going to be a factor.

The lack of skating on the canal has left regular users and nearby residents feeling like something is missing.

“I am still hoping, but obviously it is supposed to be double digits tomorrow,” said Betty Couture, who lives near the canal.

“We were on it every day that we could be last year,” said Guy Couture. “It’s disappointing."

- with files from Leah Larocque, CTV News Ottawa