Mourners say climate change killed the Rideau Canal skating season in 2023

Vigil held for Rideau Canal Skateway Ottawa residents mark the first winter in 50 decades that the Rideau Canal hasn’t opened to skaters. CTV’s Shaun Vardon reports.

Dozens of people gathered on Tuesday to mourn the loss of this year's Rideau Canal Skateway.

The event at Patterson Creek in the Glebe, dubbed a community vigil, was organized by Ecology Ottawa to highlight the impacts of climate change.

2023 has been one of the warmest winters on record in the capital, impacting tourism and taking away an activity that has been a rite of passage in Ottawa for over half a century.

George Irish has been using the canal in the winter for years as a way to avoid downtown gridlock. This year was the first since he moved to the capital that he has not skated to work.

“The canal is a part of my life every winter," he said. "I just came to rely on it skating to work, that ridiculously Canadian kind of commute, and this year It’s not happening,” Irish said.

“It’s a great place for family, kids, neighbours and the community to come out and enjoy the winter and enjoy life in Ottawa.”

Organizers say 2023 could just be a taste of winters to come if more is not done to combat the effects of climate change.

Robin Macdonald, who led the event, said she has seen an uptick in public awareness and thinks people are paying more attention now that the effects of climate change are happening in their backyards.

“This winter was a moment when climate change moved for people in Ottawa from our heads down to our hearts,” Macdonald said.

“It felt great to come together, it still feels new after the pandemic.”