‘We took a gamble’: Skating season ends on ByWard Market rink

The synthetic skating rink in the ByWard Market has been dismantled after three months in operation. CTV’s Dave Charbonneau reports.

The skating season is over in Ottawa’s ByWard Market, as skaters continue to glide on the Rideau Canal Skateway less than a kilometre away.

The synthetic skating rink on William Street was suddenly removed this week, after three months of operation in the popular tourist area.

“The plan was always to wrap up the synthetic rink at the end of Winterlude and Family Day, that was always the programming plan as we ran our Winter Market from November through to February,” Zachary Dayler, executive director of the ByWard Market District Authority, told CTV News Ottawa.

• Busiest season on the Rideau Canal Skateway in six winters

The ByWard Market District Authority installed the synthetic skating rink in November as part of the new ByWard Winter Market Season, which included a winter market through the Christmas season.

The authority billed the rink as a “highlight” of the inaugural ByWard Winter Market, saying the sustainable and eco-friendly 88-foot rink “offers a skating experience that’s accessible to everyone, regardless of the temperature.”

“We took a gamble a little bit on climate change and it being warmer,” Dayler said.

“The past six years have not had the same success on the canal. This year, we’re seeing one of the best seasons on the canal in six years, which is awesome. What we’re seeing is a lot of folks come through the area on their way to other Winterlude activities.”

The ByWard Market District Authority did not provide statistics on the number of people who skated on the rink, but Dayler said there were over 180,000 visits to the ByWard Market between November and January.

The National Capital Commission said this week that more than 800,000 visits have been recorded on the Rideau Canal Skateway since it opened on Jan. 11, the busiest season since 2018-19.

Winterlude also included activities on the synthetic skating rink in the ByWard Market.

“A huge thank you to everyone who came out and joined us for this year’s Winterlude festivities! From skating to enjoying amazing performances, your energy made this winter season truly unforgettable,” the ByWard Market said in an Instagram post.

“Whether you were gliding on the rink, warming up with some delicious treats, or exploring all the activities around the ByWard Market, we hope you had as much fun as we did.”

Business owners in the area say more funding is needed to improve attractions in the ByWard Market.

“They need more money to get better programing and this, maybe, could be part of that result,” said David Mangano, co-owner of The Grand Pizzeria. “The more money the ByWard Market District Authority can get, the better programing we have, and the better events we’ll be able to install on William Street.”

Mangano said the rink was a good try.

“We gave it a shot and it didn’t pan out the way we want. We’re a little disappointed with it, but, you know, onward and upward.”

The ByWard Market District Authority owns the synthetic skating rink, and Dayler jokes the next plan could be “Christmas in July.”

“It’s a synthetic rink and a fun offering,” Dayler said.

“I think in its pilot year there were a lot of lessons learned in terms of how we operate it, where it goes, but we also know that we want it to expand. I think what we’re going to be doing over the summer months and as we look to the winter 2025-26, where do we place it, how do we grow and how we expand the offering.”

--With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Dave Charbonneau