Prime Minister Mark Carney joined thousands of residents and visitors for a New Year’s Eve skate on the Rideau Canal Skateway, as the world’s largest skating rink opened for its 56th season.
The National Capital Commission opened a 3.4-kilometre section of the skateway at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, between Somerset Street and the Bank Street Bridge.
Carney and his wife, Diana Fox Carney, were spotted on the skateway shortly after the Rideau Canal opened for the season.
“It’s fantastic,” Carney told CTV News Ottawa’s Katelyn Wilson while skating on the Rideau Canal Skateway near Fifth Avenue.
“This is Ottawa at its best, Canada at its best.”
This is the first time the Rideau Canal Skateway opened for skating in December since 2018.
“As a true winter capital, Ottawa offers an unparalleled cold season experience,” NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum said in a statement.
“We invite everyone to come out to the Skateway, embrace the festive spirit, and enjoy this uniquely Canadian moment in the heart of our nation’s capital.”
“The cold weather in December provided ideal conditions for our operations. More sections of the Skateway should open as soon as ice conditions permit,” the NCC said in a statement.
“This season, due to the rehabilitation of the Patterson Creek Bridge, the Patterson Creek skating area will be closed. A temporary staircase was added nearby, close to Monkland Avenue.”
The last time the Rideau Canal Skateway opened in December was in 2018, when the skateway opened on Dec. 30. It opened on Dec. 28 in 2004 and Dec. 21, 1997.
Last winter, the Rideau Canal Skateway opened for the season on Jan. 11. The season ended after 52 days of skating on March 10.
With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Katelyn Wilson
