The ice is heating up in Gatineau for Canada’s National Skating Championships

Canada’s top figure skaters are in Gatineau for the 2026 Canadian National Skating Championships. CTV’s Peter Szperling reports.

Canada’s top skaters are taking the ice for the 2026 Canadian National Skating Championships at the Centre Slush Puppie in Gatineau.

Skate Canada says more than 300 junior and senior athletes from across the country “will compete for national titles in men’s, women’s, pair, ice dance, and synchronized skating.”

“This is the biggest event of the year for us,” said Terry Sheahan, senior director of events and production services with at Skate Canada.

The event began Monday and according to a press release from Skate Canada, it will conclude Sunday with the selection of Team Canada’s Olympic figure skating team. The selected athletes will compete at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games in February.

One young figure skating Champion says she’s looking forward to hitting the ice.

“I’m so excited to compete here,” Lia Cho said.

“My favorite part of competing is showing everyone how much I love the sport. And it’s just performing and jumping and showing the audience how much I love the sport.”

For attendee Cathy White, who drove from Toronto to cheer on athletes, the event is a tradition.

“We just appreciate seeing the figure skating in person,” White said.

“We’ve been coming to the Canadian National Figure Skating Championships every year since 1992.”

To attend the event in person, single session tickets for all competitions are available for purchase here.

A schedule and a livestream of the event can be found on the Skate Canada website.

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