Final section of Rideau Canal Skateway to open Saturday
400-metre stretch from Laurier to NAC will open for 1st time in 3 seasons
The final section of the Rideau Canal Skateway will open at 8 a.m. Saturday, the National Capital Commission (NCC) announced on its website Friday.
The 400-metre section between Laurier Avenue W. and the National Arts Centre is the last stretch to open. Skate rentals will be offered at the area's rest stop once open, but the NCC said food and beverages won't be sold there this weekend.
The NCC opened the section from Laurier to Bank Street last Saturday, followed by the section from Bank to Carleton University on Tuesday.
This marks the first time in three seasons that the northernmost section has opened, including 2022-23 when the entire skateway remained closed for the first time in its history.
As CBC reported Thursday, warm runoff that flows into the canal between the Laurier and Mackenzie King bridges makes that section of the skateway particularly difficult to prepare, even when the weather co-operates.
The current forecast predicts mild temperatures on Saturday before the temperature plunges on Sunday and remains cold through next week.
