NCC still hopeful Rideau Canal Skateway can open this season
There is still hope the world famous Rideau Canal Skateway will be open for Winterlude.
This season’s closure has been a disappointment not only for skaters and visitors but also for local businesses.
The sharpening wheel sits idle as rental skates are ready to go at Cycos on Hawthorne, just steps away from the Rideau Canal. Co-owner Gordon Martin says a typical weekend would see his drying mats covered in skates.
But this skating season has been anything but typical.
"The canal is like a lifeline," Martin said. "It’s part of what our business model’s around, the canal and pathways around there for our bike rentals as well and skate rentals so, it’s a big deal for us. For sure."
The Rideau Canal Skateway is still closed and already past the latest opening in its history of Feb. 2, 2002. Martin says this late season is different for Cycos when compared to two decades ago.
"There’s amenities that people can use like, say, the Rink of Dreams and the refrigerated rink at Lansdowne and you also have the guys that have the skating rinks through the forests and stuff like that. A lot of people are renting for there."
The Rideau Canal first welcomed skaters in January 1971 and since then, not one season has been missed.
The NCC remains hopeful. In a statement to CTV News on Monday, a spokesperson writes:
"The colder temperatures of the past few days allowed the teams to flood the ice several times. We’re continuing some of our preparation work while we assess the results of the flooding. We look forward to welcoming skaters to the Rideau Canal Skateway soon."
Skating the canal often means a stop for an iconic BeaverTail but, with the canal closed, no customers have been able to stop by the huts so far this season.
“Some loss, certainly tens of thousands of dollars have already been spent, and not a penny has come back across the counter,” says BeaverTails founder Grant Hooker.
“We’ve been here 42 years, if this had happened in the first five or 10 years, I would be probably too depressed to talk to you today but fortunately, we’ve saved … for not a rainy day - but a warm day.”
Winterlude runs until Feb. 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Biscuits with possible plastic pieces, metal found in ground pork: Here are the recalls for this week
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Local MP, MLA call on federal government to remove sunken vessel in Saint John River
An MP and an MLA are calling for the removal of a sunken vessel in the Saint John River.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.