Reservations required for Ottawa's four outdoor refrigerated skating rinks starting Monday

A sign is seen advising a capacity limit for skaters on the ice due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant at the Rink of Dreams at City Hall in Ottawa, Dec. 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

You will need a reservation to go skating at Ottawa's four outdoor refrigerated rinks during peak periods.

The city of Ottawa has announced its reintroducing the online reservation system to book a free 45-minute spot at the outdoor refrigerated rinks. 

Starting Monday, Jan. 10, you will need to book a reservation at ottawa.ca/skating for a spot during the following peak times at the four rinks:

• Ottawa City Hall Rink of Dreams - 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily
• Lansdowne Park Skating Court - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays
• Ben Franklin Place Skating Rink - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays
• Jim Tubman Chevrolet Rink of Dreams - 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekends, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays

Skating is available without reservations on a drop-in basis during the non-peak times.

The city says reservations can be made up to two days in advance with new spots opening at 6 p.m. daily.

A maximum of four skaters can be booked for each reservation. If you have made a reservation, you must show a copy of the confirmation email at the rink.

On Dec. 26, Ottawa's medical officer of health introduced capacity limits for outdoor rinks in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19.  All outdoor refrigerated rinks have capacity limits based on the number of people who can maintain physical distancing of two metres.

Reservations are not required for the more than 265 natural ice rinks in neighbourhoods across the city, but capacity limits of 25 people and distancing requirements apply.