There's been a lot of snow these past few days in Ottawa, but that hasn't helped the Rideau Canal freeze thick enough to accommodate the thousands of people who skate on it in the winter.

The National Capital Commission says it takes two weeks of -15 Celsius temperatures to prime the ice for skating. Although parts of the canal were ready for skating by New Year's Day in 2009, there's no word yet on when it will be ready this year

Temperatures in Ottawa have hovered just below zero for several days. Sunday's high will be -5, with temperatures climbing closer to zero until Thursday.