As Ottawa warms up, Rideau Canal to close for skaters just four days after opening

Ottawa’s Rideau Canal is set to close for skating at 10 p.m. this evening, just four days after a section of the skateway was first opened for the season.

The National Capital Commission says on its website that the closure is temporary and will last until further notice.

It says closing the canal will help preserve the ice and limit damage, with above-zero temperatures and the chance of rain expected in the coming days.

Ottawa’s Rideau Canal is set to close for skating at 10 p.m. this evening, just four days after a section of the skateway was first opened for the season. People skate past an opening in a fence at a closed section of the Rideau Canal Skateway, on the morning of its opening day in Ottawa, on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Many Ottawa residents were relieved when the skateway partially opened Sunday, after it remained closed last winter for the first time in its history.

But skaters said earlier this week the ice was in rough condition, and the NCC warns on its website that snow may hide cracks, unevenness, rough patches or holes.

The NCC captured the mood around the closure on social media with a gif of Margot Robbie crying in the Barbie movie, adding there are plans to reopen the canal as soon as weather and safety allow.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2024.