‘It’s been gorgeous’: skaters hit the Rideau Canal Skateway for Family Day weekend

More than 550,000 people have visited the Rideau Canal Skateway this winter. As CTV’s Kimberley Johnson reports, the skateway was packed for the long weekend.

Many have taken to the Rideau Canal Skateway this Family Day long weekend, and the National Capital Commission says hundreds of thousands have hit the ice since the start of the season.

Back in Ottawa for the long weekend, Hannah Anderson says she knew she had to come out and enjoy the canal with her family on Sunday.

“I just love how open it is and accessible it is to everybody. I mean, you can just skate on it to get to work or for fun,” Anderson said. “It’s just really free for anyone to use.”

It’s something Anderson tries to do every year, but this year is special. She’s hitting the world’s largest skating rink with her cousin, who’s only visited the skateway once before.

“We’re going to go to Parliament. Come back and maybe grab some BeaverTails at the end,” Anderson said. “Not too long, but enough to see everything.”

The National Capital Commission says as of Friday, there have been more than 570,000 visits to the canal since it opened for the season on Dec. 31, the earliest start to the skating season since 2018.

The whole 7.8 km stretch is still open to enjoy.

“It’s been gorgeous. It’s been a great weekend,” says skater Heather Rolls.

Last year, the NCC says there were more than 1.1 million visitors on the skateway for it’s 52 days in operation from Jan. 11 and March 10.

This week, temperatures are set to creep above 0 C, and that could mean days are running out for the skating season. With those milder temperatures, the NCC is reminding people to check its the NCC website for skating conditions before heading out.

Melanie Laframboise from Casselman has been out twice with her daughter this season, they say “conditions have been great this year.”

“Beautiful,” Laframboise says of Sundays weather. “It’s warm even though it looks cold. The sun is really warm, so it feels great.”

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