The Sonic Runway light-art installation on William Street in the ByWard Market. It's part of the festivities for Winterlude. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at things to do in Ottawa, eastern Ontario and western Quebec during the first weekend of February.
The Rideau Canal Skateway remains closed for skating this weekend.
LIST OF: Closures and cancellations in the Ottawa area due to the extreme cold
Winterlude cancels all outdoor activities on Friday due to extreme cold
Winterlude
The 45th edition of Winterlude kicks off this weekend in Ottawa and Gatineau.
The popular winter festival includes ice sculptures on Sparks Street, the Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park and interactive art installations and other features in the ByWard Market. All outdoor activities, including the Snowflake Kingdom, have been cancelled on Friday due to the cold weather.
Events this weekend include the Canada Remembers the 1998 Ice Storm exhibit at the National War Memorial, the Kids Zone in Jacques-Cartier Park, Snowphy Trophy in the Glebe, sleight rides around the ByWard Market, Winter Fun at the Bank of Canada Museum, Ice Dig at Jacques-Cartier Park, and Jessy Lindsay and Qattuu on Saturday and Sunday on Sparks Street.
The first weekend of events are underway at the Ontario Winter Games across Renfrew County.
Events this weekend include Ringette in Arnprior, Futsal in Petawawa, artistic swimming in Petawawa, curling at the Renfrew Curling Rink in Renfrew and men's hockey in Renfrew.
The Rink of Dreams at Ottawa City Hall is open daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. (weather permitting).
Lansdowne Park skating court is open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (weather permitting).
The Jim Tubman Chevrolet Rink (Canterbury) is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (weather permitting).
Ben Franklin Place Skating Rink (101 Centrepointe Drive) Open daily (weather permitting).
Here's a look at downhill skiing and snowboarding runs in the Ottawa area. Visit each resort's website for conditions.
Camp Fortune in Chelsea, Que. is home to more than 20 different downhill runs. (Camp Fortune has cancelled night skiing on Friday night due to the cold weather).
Ski Vorlage features 18 different runs in Wakefield, Que.
Sommet Edelweiss features 20 runs in Wakefield, Que. (Edelweiss will be closed on Friday due to the cold weather).
Mont Cascades Ski Resort in Cantley, Que. is home to 20 runs that range from easy to extremely difficult
Mount Pakenham is located 45 minutes west of downtown in Pakenham, Ont. with 10 runs.
Calabogie Peaks Ski Resort in Calabogie, Ont. features 24 different trails that range from easy to expert.
Mont Ste-Marie features nearly 30 runs, including a ski-snowboard cross run.
Gatineau Park has snowshoe trails and snow biking trails available for outdoor enthusiasts.
Gatineau Park has close to 80 kilometres of snowshoe trails, ranging in level of difficulty from easy to very difficult – with about half of the trails shared with snow bikers.
For more information about snowshoeing in Gatineau Park, click here.
Optik is an interactive installation that utilizes lights and sounds to create a colourful symphony of music with just a spin of the wheel.
Optik runs until Feb. 10.
University sports
The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees women's hockey team hosts Montreal Friday night at the Minto Sports Complex. Game time is 7 p.m.
The Carleton Ravens women's hockey team hosts Bishop's Friday night at the Ice House. Game time is 7 p.m.
The Queen's men's and women's volleyball teams host Western Friday and Saturday night at the main gym. The women's game starts at 6 p.m., followed by the men's game at 8 p.m.
The Queen's women's hockey team hosts York Friday night at the Memorial Centre. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
The Queen's men's hockey team hosts Ontario Tech Saturday night at the Memorial Centre. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Queen's hosts the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA basketball action on Sunday at the main gym. The women's game starts at 1 p.m., followed by the men's game at 3 p.m.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
In an effort to keep the foreign interference story at the forefront, and to do an apparent end run around the Liberal filibuster blocking one study from going ahead, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is forcing MPs to debate and then vote on a motion instructing an opposition-dominated House committee to strike its own review.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Bargain hunters are one step closer to seeing sales at Nordstrom's closing Canadian locations. At a hearing at Osgoode Hall in Toronto on Monday, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice gave the U.S. retailer's Canadian branch permission to start liquidating its merchandise.
Some of the world's largest central banks came together on Sunday to stop a banking crisis from spreading as Swiss authorities persuaded UBS Group AG to buy rival Credit Suisse Group AG in a historic deal.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
The University of Prince Edward Island Faculty Association says its staff has gone on strike after what it says are failed attempts to enter additional negotiations with the university's administration.
The student union president at Cape Breton University said food insecurity has become a concern for many students and the on-campus food bank cannot keep up with demand.
Ontario employers who withhold foreign workers’ passports or work permits could face steeper penalties under new labour laws, with maximum fines setting them back up to $200,000.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) announced Monday morning that a third person has died in connection with the tragedy in Amqui, in the Lower St. Lawrence region, where a driver drove his pickup truck into pedestrians a week ago.
A 46-year-old man has been taken to hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries after a single-vehicle crash on MR80 near Donaldson Crescent in Val Caron.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
Lane restrictions are now in place on Wellington Street as construction gets underway on Phase 1 of the Wellington Gateway and Municipal Infrastructure Improvements project.
The first day of spring in the London region will be a beautiful one. The daytime high is forecast to be 6 C, slightly warmer than the average high for this time of year.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
A community is in mourning after a 10-year-old girl was killed earlier this week when flames tore through her family’s camping trailer southeast of Brantford.
Waterloo regional police say they arrested nine people for impaired driving over the course of nine hours between 6:30 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day and 3:30 a.m. on March 18.
The Town of Strathmore and Siksika Nation hosted the first Lead By Example Powwow this weekend in honour of a young Indigenous man who was shot to death four years ago.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
In a heated race to the playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers will try to bank some points against lesser competition when they host the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
A vehicle burst into flames in South Vancouver after an early morning collision Monday, prompting police to shut down the intersection at Kingsway and Tyne Street amid an investigation.
People who rely on transit to get around parts of the Fraser Valley are scrambling to find alternatives as workers with BC Transit walk the picket line.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
Some residents of Saskatchewan's capital city have been vocal with their disapproval of Tourism Regina's latest rebrand, prompting an apology from the organization.
The Sonic Runway light-art installation on William Street in the ByWard Market. It's part of the festivities for Winterlude. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)
