How much of the channel is open? NCC floods more

After an extremely successful opening weekend, the National Capital Commission (NCC) is allowing more skaters on the canal from Tuesday.

In an email to CityNews, NCC spokesperson Maryam El-Akhrass said that a total of 7.4 kilometers of the canal is open from 8.00 on January 14.

“Our crews are currently sweeping the ice after the recent snowfall,” she notes. “We are actively working to open new sections this week as soon as the ice conditions are safe. Conditions are monitored several times a day.”

On the weekend, a 4.0 kilometer long stretch could welcome peoplebut following cool temperatures in the city, a further 3.4 kilometer section opens – from Bank Street to Library (including Dows Lake).

El-Akhrass said teams have been working with Carleton University and experts have found ways to help NCC adapt to the changing winter temperatures.

“So far the weather has been on our side this year,” she said. “We took full advantage of the cold before the holiday break and worked hard to prepare the ice surface. As we had hoped, we did not lose too much ice thickness or quality during the mild temperatures of the holidays.”

When cold hit last weekteams were able to flood and build ice thickness quickly so more of the canal could open tomorrow.

On the canal’s opening day, 20,000 people flocked to Canada’s largest ice rink. The NCC said that by the end of the weekend, more than 85,000 people had visited – more than half of the visits seen during last year’s 10-day season.