The Rideau Canal Skateway, the “world’s largest skating rink,” is on thin ice after it closed on Feb. 21 at 10 p.m. for the second time this year after briefly reopening for the Family Day long weekend.

It’s been a dodgy season for the historic canal, which opened for only four days in January. In 2023, for the first time in its 52-year history, the canal stayed closed all winter.

The Rideau Canal is an icon of Ottawa’s community in the winter, and a neutral public space for politicians, residents and tourists to gather. But shorter or nonexistent skating seasons pose a threat to its survival.

Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi (Ottawa Centre, Ont.) whose riding encompasses the Rideau Canal, said he is disappointed by the mild winter season.

“I think it defines the nation’s capital and community in so many ways,” Naqvi said. “We forget often that we’re a capital city of a northern country. Winter is part of our lives.”

“This year when it was first announced that it’s going to get open only for a few days, there was a real thrill and excitement,” he said.

Naqvi said that the canal serves as a connection point for much of the city. 

“The fact that the Rideau Canal just sort of cuts through so many parks, so many neighbourhoods, Old Ottawa South, Old Ottawa East, the Glebe, Centretown, is another accessibility piece that I often talk about, that it allows for people to be able to come from all directions and be able to use it,” he said.

Liberal MP Mona Fortier (Ottawa-Vanier, Ont.) said she’s disappointed that she didn’t get the chance to get out for a skate yet.

“I haven’t had a chance this year to go, unfortunately, and it saddens me because it’s such a great opportunity,” Fortier said. “It’s a highlight of our city, being able to skate or even to walk, and I find that it’s more and more accessible and great for people to come and discover.”

The canal has played host to many events since its inaugural skating 1971 season, including horse-racing, ice-carving, hockey and curling. Fortier and Naqvi both spoke about its status as an Ottawa icon.

Naqvi said that the canal serves as a connection point for much of the city. 

Fortier said she saw the skateway as a destination for both locals and tourists.

“I know that many people from the region enjoy it,” she said. “Many people coming to Ottawa enjoy going out on the canal. [It’s important to get] people from all ages to experience the Rideau Canal, and of course, experience the Rideau Canal with a Beavertail [pastry]. I mean, they go together.”

In 2023, the National Capital Commission (NCC) spent nearly $1-million trying to reopen the canal, but record warm temperatures kept it closed.

Fortier lamented the toll climate change has taken on the skateway’s health.

“I understand it’s weather related. It’s not that people don’t try or don’t put the effort in. I know the NCC puts all of the effort in to get it done, but if Mother Nature doesn’t collaborate … [it’s] kind of hard to be able to offer the opportunity to go out and skate.”

Naqvi said it was a blow to him and many of his constituents to see the canal closed for an entire season.

“It was really evident to me last year when the canal did not open how many people were disappointed,” he said. “They were not able to enjoy the beauty of the canal and the opportunity to skate on it.”

“It felt like there was one less place for community to gather,” he added. “I think what amazes me is that you can see the incredible diversity of our country represented, and when you take it away, there’s one less thing to do in the winter months.”

Naqvi said he also recalled explaining to his children that the canal would not open in 2023, telling them “we’ll do all other activities, but not that particular one.”

The Rideau Canal is also a major part of Ottawa’s Winterlude festival, which has drawn crowds to the capital since 1979. Fortier commended Canadian Heritage’s ability to adapt and retain enthusiasm during last year’s fluctuations.

“Heritage Canada had to find innovative ways to continue Winterlude, and I think they did a great job to make sure that people had an opportunity to participate,” she said. “But they have to innovate and find ways to make sure the activities are held.”

Beyond just being a communal rink, the Rideau Canal also represents a sort of politically neutral territory in the heart of the capital. Ottawa resident and avid canal skater Marc Lepage called it “probably the most neutral place in Ottawa, or Canada.” 

“We’ve noticed the last several years that we’re getting more people from different communities that are learning to skate,” Lepage said. “They might be coming from Africa or Asia, and they come over here and their faces just light up.”

Naqvi said he sees the canal as a unifying territory.

“It’s the accessibility piece, right?” Naqvi said. “I’m a big fan of public spaces because they don’t distinguish between people. And people of all backgrounds and of all means can use it,” he said.

Fortier said she felt similarly.

“We don’t have to talk about politics all the time,” she said. “We have to find ways to encourage people to enjoy the outdoors and enjoy the fact that we have great amenities, great destinations.”

The Hill Times