Winterlude cancels all outdoor activities due to extreme cold
Winterlude kicked off in Ottawa and Gatineau on Friday, but the extreme cold weather conditions forced the cancellation of all outdoor events on opening day.
With temperatures sitting at -27 C Friday afternoon and the wind chill making it feel like -42 degrees, the Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park, the Winterlude National Ice-Carving Championships on Sparks Street and all other outdoor events are cancelled for the day.
"Given the extreme weather conditions and to ensure the security of staff, volunteers, and visitors, all outdoor Winterlude activities held today have been cancelled. Stay tuned for updates," Canadian Heritage said on its website.
"The launch of Winterlude National Ice-Carving Championship, presented by Tim Hortons has been postponed to Saturday, February 4 at 10 a.m."
Canadian Heritage announced activities will resume on Saturday, as temperatures begin to warm up.
The Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park will open at 12 p.m. on Saturday, while the OLG Sno-Bus service will also begin at 12 p.m.
Some tourists were already walking around downtown Ottawa when it was announced Friday's outdoor activities were cancelled.
"This is my first time to Ottawa; this is the farthest north I have ever been," Mike Heuman said, visiting Ottawa from Ohio.
"This is why we came. We came to see good friends and experience winter!"
Canadian Heritage said it decided to cancel all outdoor activities for safety reasons.
"The health and safety of the folks coming out to celebrate Winterlude, but also the hundreds of volunteers and staff that put Winterlude together," Canadian Heritage spokesperson Melanie Brault said. "It is cold so we needed to make some decision so everyone stays safe."
The delayed start to the ice-carving competition left competitors sitting in the cold on Friday.
"It makes the ice really hard, we deal with it," Larry MacFarlene said. "Weather changes all the time, if you wait a few days the weather will warm up!"
Canadian Heritage says Winterlude activities will resume for the weekend, with temperatures expected to warm up to 1 C by Sunday.
"We are hoping that we are going to be open here on Sparks with the ice carving competition. Fingers and toes crossed that we will be able to open at Jacques-Cartier Park," Brault said.
The Rideau Canal Skateway remains closed, and the National Capital Commission has said it will not open for the opening weekend of the Winterlude.
"Mother Nature over the course of the last few months has been giving us a run for our money! It has been really warm in December and January and then here we are the first day of Winterlude, Feb. 3, and it is record-breaking cold," Brault said.
The national capital region's winter festival returns this weekend with in-person activities for the first time in three years.
"We're so happy to be back," Brault told CTV News Ottawa earlier this week..
"Winterlude this year in the national capital region will be running from Feb. 3 right through to the 20th, so lots of time to come out to enjoy tonnes of activities that are being planned right across the area."
The opening weekend includes the sold out show Minoshkite at the Canadian Museum of History Friday night and free tours of the RCMP Musical Ride Stables on Saturday. The ice-carving championships will kick off on Saturday at 10 a.m.
"We have 13 different duos that will start competing. They have 15 blocks of ice and 20 hours to create a masterpiece," Brault said. "This year, they're going to be given the theme of Creatures of the Sea, so giving the nod to Canada's underwater aquatic life."
The public is invited to Sparks Street all weekend to watch the ice-carving competition.
The second weekend of Winterlude will include Winter Pride and many activities that "highlight our country's cultural diversity and inclusion," Canadian Heritage said.
Activities in Ottawa and Gatineau during the three-weekend festival include:
- The Snowflake Kingdom in Gatineau's Jacques-Cartier Park
- Interactive light features, ice sculptures and performance art zones on Sparks Street.
- The ByWard Market will host sleigh rides, food experiences, interactive art installations and other features
- Interactive art installations in the ByWard Market include Sonic Runway light-art installation and Optik, the interactive art installation.
- Activities will be held at the Canadian Museum of History and the National Arts Centre
- Snowphy Trophy in the Glebe
For more information on all the activities during Winterlude, visit https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/winterlude.html.
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Leah Larocque
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I'm a Canadian': MP named in foreign interference report speaks out, refutes claims
The Liberal MP who allegedly benefitted from Chinese election interference is speaking out against the report, categorically stating the foreign government did not help him in his nomination campaign.
Uber says Ottawa has the worst passengers in Canada
According to new data released by Uber on Tuesday, Ottawa has the worst average rider rating in the country, followed by Toronto and Montreal.
Researchers have created a way to cloak artwork so that it can’t be used to train AI
Researchers at the University of Chicago have made a tool called Glaze which, once applied to a piece of artwork, means that artwork can’t be read and reproduced by AI tools that scrape art online to replicate their style.
So many doctors are being driven away by Idaho abortion ban that this hospital can’t deliver babies anymore
An Idaho hospital has announced that it will no longer be able to deliver babies because the state’s near-total abortion ban — one of the most extreme in the U.S. — has driven so many doctors away.
'A very, very difficult odour': Senate adjourns early after foul smell in the building disrupts proceedings
The Senate adjourned early on Tuesday afternoon after a foul smell in the building caused headaches in the chamber and disrupted proceedings.
Nordstrom liquidation sales underwhelm Canadians as most items marked down 5 per cent
The first day of Nordstrom's liquidation sale began on Tuesday, but some shoppers walked away underwhelmed, as most items were only marked down five per cent.
Second body recovered from Old Montreal building destroyed by fire
Montreal police confirmed Tuesday evening that a second body has been recovered from the building in Old Montreal that was destroyed by a fire last week.
Trump's potential indictment caps decades of legal scrutiny
For 40 years, former President Donald Trump has navigated countless legal investigations without ever facing criminal charges. That record may soon come to an end.
Via Rail apologizes after Muslim man told not to pray at Ottawa train station
Via Rail is apologizing after a Muslim man was told he couldn't pray at the Ottawa train station.
Atlantic
-
Student charged with attempted murder in stabbings at Halifax-area high school
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
-
RCMP on scene of barricaded man in Nova Scotia's Antigonish County
The RCMP is on scene of a barricaded man in a home in Lower South River, N.S., and are asking the public to avoid the area.
-
'Violence is a workplace hazard for teachers': Parents, expert concerned about rising violence in N.S. schools
The stabbing at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S., is hitting many parents hard.
Toronto
-
Ontario couple en route to India forced to turn back due to document issue
An Ontario couple's trip to India was cut short over an issue with their visa documents.
-
Two men arrested in deadly Fairview Mall parking lot shooting
Police have arrested two men following a triple shooting at a popular Toronto mall that left one person dead Monday afternoon.
-
Ontario's summer forecast has been revealed. What to expect from June to September
The Farmers' Almanac has released its 2023 summer forecast, and, according to the long-range forecaster, Ontario could be in for some 'hot and soggy' summer months.
Montreal
-
Second body recovered from Old Montreal building destroyed by fire
Montreal police confirmed Tuesday evening that a second body has been recovered from the building in Old Montreal that was destroyed by a fire last week.
-
Quebec budget: Income tax cuts and big drop in economic growth
Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard on Tuesday kept his party's election promise to cut income taxes, as he projected economic growth to drop dramatically in 2023.
-
'Bricks versus bodies': Father agonizes over pace of recovery efforts in old Montreal fire
As the search for victims of a five-alarm fire in Old Montreal stretched into its fifth day on Tuesday, friends and family members are getting frustrated with the pace of the investigation and lack of answers.
Northern Ontario
-
Worst place in Canada for bed bugs has been revealed
A Canadian city has just been named the worst in the country for bed bugs for the third year in a row.
-
Ontario's summer forecast has been revealed. What to expect from June to September
The Farmers' Almanac has released its 2023 summer forecast, and, according to the long-range forecaster, Ontario could be in for some 'hot and soggy' summer months.
-
VIDEO
VIDEO | Doug Ford sports new look after miscommunication with barber at Walmart
Doug Ford said a misunderstanding with a barber led to the shortest haircut he's ever had.
London
-
Man stabbed while waiting inside vehicle at train crossing, suspect sought
London police are looking for a suspect who allegedly entered a vehicle that was stopped at a train crossing and stabbed the driver in central London, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
-
Council committee extends possible lifeline to Thames Pool
London, Ont. city councillors want more information and more opportunities for public input before making a final decision about the future of Thames Pool.
-
Trial date set for trio charged in the shooting death of a London, Ont. teenager
Three people charged in the shooting death of Josue Silva, 18, won’t face trial for another year and a half.
Winnipeg
-
'Full, full, full': parents left frustrated over lack of swimming lesson spots
Frustrated and left with few options – that's how many Winnipeg parents were feeling Tuesday after they couldn't get their kids into swimming lessons.
-
'Everything was lost': Manitoba business owner victim of Instagram hack
A Winnipeg business owner is reminding others to be careful online after her social media accounts were hacked over the weekend.
-
Nurses working in sexual assault program have resigned
Several nurses working in a department at a Winnipeg hospital that provides examinations for victims of sexual assault have resigned for their positions, leaving the department short-staffed.
Kitchener
-
'I was so concerned': Officer who fatally shot Beau Baker testifies at inquest
The second day of the inquest into a fatal police shooting saw a number of people who knew 20-year-old Beau Baker leading up to his death testify, including with the police officer who shot him.
-
Plan to demolish affordable units for funeral home expansion draws criticism
One Kitchener city councillor described a decision from Tuesday night’s meeting as one of the hardest he has had to make in his 12 years at city hall.
-
Two officers injured, 232 charges laid by WRPS during Waterloo St. Patrick’s Day weekend
The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) says its officers laid 232 charges and arrested 18 people in connection to the large St. Patrick’s Day street party in Waterloo’s university district.
Calgary
-
Calgary doctor performs spine surgery on conscious patient
Last month, Dr. Michael Yang, a spine surgeon at Foothills Medical Centre, performed a discectomy to remove the damaged part of a herniated disc in the spine, on a patient who was wide awake.
-
Protest takes fight over Calgary school's name to the school board's steps
Students and community members will gather in protest outside the Calgary Board of Education Centre Tuesday morning, calling for the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald name from a northwest junior high school.
-
City of Calgary seeing three times as many potholes this year
The City of Calgary says potholes are everywhere and crews are busy trying to keep up with demand to fill them.
Saskatoon
-
Here's what we could see in the 2023-24 provincial budget
The long awaited 2023-24 provincial budget will be unveiled in the Legislature on Wednesday afternoon, outlining the government’s taxation and spending plans for next year.
-
Sask. doctor charged with unprofessional conduct after pleading guilty to harassing ex-girlfriend
A Nipawin doctor has been charged with unprofessional conduct after pleading guilty to criminally harassing his ex-girlfriend.
-
Sask. RCMP warn of man at 'high risk' to breach youth-related release conditions
Saskatchewan RCMP say a 45-year-old man in the Maidstone area is "at high risk to breach conditions involving youth."
Edmonton
-
Latest Lucy examination reveals a uterine tumour, fails to explain breathing issue or unanimously advise relocation
Edmonton Valley Zoo is making improvements to Lucy the elephant's enclosure and routine to accommodate her for the long term after international experts did not agree she was fit to be relocated.
-
Local first responder using art as therapy creates portraits of fallen EPS officers
A Spruce Grove first responder artist created a series of portraits in memory of the pair of Edmonton Police Service constables killed in the line of duty last week.
-
'Best week of my life': Why new Oiler Nick Bjugstad loves Edmonton and its gigantic mall so much
Hockey, snow and big shopping malls are some of his favourite things so Nick Bjugstad was gushing Tuesday when talking about his new home in the Alberta capital.
Vancouver
-
Facebook Marketplace scammer asking for deposits, taking off with the cash, Vancouver business owner warns
The owner of a vintage furniture store in Vancouver’s Chinatown is warning about a Facebook Marketplace scammer who’s asking buyers for deposits and taking off with the cash.
-
‘It felt so surreal’: 18-year-old speaks out after being kicked out of SZA concert in Vancouver
An 18-year-old who got kicked out of the SZA concert in Vancouver on Sunday is pushing back against claims by Rogers Arena that he was removed after being repeatedly asked to stop dancing in the aisles.
-
Fears that 'foreign interference' investigations could stoke anti-Asian sentiment
Concerns are being raised that a probe into potential interference by China in Canadian elections could lead to more anti-Asian racism.
Regina
-
Here's what we could see in the 2023-24 provincial budget
The long awaited 2023-24 provincial budget will be unveiled in the Legislature on Wednesday afternoon, outlining the government’s taxation and spending plans for next year.
-
Emergency crews respond to crash along Highway 6 south of Regina
Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) said police and STARS Air Ambulance were on the scene of a crash along Highway 6 south of Regina Tuesday morning.
-
Regina ranked the 2nd most affordable Canadian city for first time homeowners: study
Regina was ranked as the second most affordable city for first time home buyers, according to a study conducted by real estate firm Edmonton Homes.