Entire length of Rideau Canal Skateway opens Friday morning
Green flag goes up for all 7.8 kilometres of skateway as of 8 a.m. Friday, NCC announces
The Rideau Canal will open all 7.8 kilometres of the skateway on Friday morning, the National Capital Commission has announced.
The 52nd skating season will begin at 8 a.m. Friday and there will be some changes from the pandemic-affected 2021 season.
Important updates: <br>☕ Concessions/rentals/picnic tables are back! <br>↔️ Keep 2m from others <br>😷 Wear a mask (required indoors + in lineups) <br>✅ Follow public health directives<br><br>More info: <a href="https://t.co/q998wTLegY">https://t.co/q998wTLegY</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OttNews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OttNews</a>
—@NCC_SkatewayThe NCC has explained its general standards for opening a stretch of the canal are an ice thickness of 30 centimetres, which takes about 10 to 14 days of temperatures in the -10 C to -20 C range.
WATCH | What it looks like to get the canal ready:
The neighbouring Queen Elizabeth Driveway on its western side is open for exercise and closed to vehicles between Somerset Street West and Fifth Avenue Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Last year's skating season lasted 29 days from late January to late February, its shortest season yet.
