For the first time in its 53-year history, Ottawa’s Rideau Canal will be closed to skaters. This 7.8-kilometre route -the longest for practicing winter sports in the world- covers a large part of the main attractions of the Canadian capital. However, the higher than usual temperatures put the safety of visitors at risk, since the ice does not have the minimum thickness established. The National Capital Commission made the decision this Friday as a result of the latest tests carried out on said surface.
The agency noted that the track remains unsafe for skating “despite the efforts of the teams, and even with the low temperatures of the last 24 hours.” The local press has been speculating for several weeks about the opening date of this attraction. However, its administrators indicated this past Friday that it will be closed throughout the season. “We share the general disappointment over this decision,” they commented, specifying that the objective is to ensure that it opens next winter. The Rideau Canal, whose work was completed in 1832, was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2007. The first sections for skating began operating in 1970. In the winter of 2019, the ice rink received nearly 1.5 million visitors (the largest influx recorded in a single season).
The commission explained that the ice on the rink has to be at least 30 centimeters thick to support both the number of skaters and the maintenance machinery. Temperatures must hover between -10 and -20 degrees for 10 to 14 consecutive days for conditions to be conducive to ice thickness. The tests were carried out by a team made up of members of the commission and researchers from Carleton University. This winter has been the coldest in decades in the Canadian capital; the average temperature last January was -5.2 degrees.
On average, the track is open about 50 days per season. The shortest period of activities was registered in 2002: 29 days of access. A commission report – made public in 2021 – emphasized the effects of climate change on the Rideau Canal. According to the document, the skating season could last less than 40 days 50% of the time. Likewise, it is increasingly unlikely that the track will open its doors in the months of December.
