(Ottawa) Ottawa is preparing to experience another weekend without its famous skating on the Rideau Canal, despite temperatures below the seasonal normal these days.
The National Capital Commission, which manages the famous ice rink, said Friday it was reassessing the condition of the ice now that cold weather has finally arrived in the city later this week. But she can’t yet announce an opening date for this picturesque ice walk.
For the first time in its more than 50-year history, the Rideau Canal could not be opened to skating all last winter, and there is great concern in the federal capital about its fate this winter.
The ice on the canal must be at least 30 centimeters thick for the rink to be open, which requires 10 to 14 days of temperatures between -10°C and -20°C.
Trudy Kidd, a meteorologist at Environment Canada, said Friday that temperatures in Ottawa this weekend should be between -9°C and -13°C, but return to just below freezing by the middle of next week.