Nearly all of the Rideau Canal Skateway to open Tuesday morning

Skaters make their way along the Rideau Canal Skateway on its opening day in Ottawa, on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

The National Capital Commission says more ice will be available to skaters on the Rideau Canal Skateway as of Tuesday morning.

Starting at 8 a.m., the green flag will fly on 7.4 kilometres from Laurier to Library, including Dow’s Lake. All that will remain closed will be the 400 metres between Rideau to Laurier.

Four kilometres of the Rideau Canal Skateway, from Laurier to Bank, opened Saturday, attracting thousands of skaters. Tuesday’s offering will be the longest stretch of the skateway that has been available since 2022. There was no skating season in 2023 and only a short stretch of the canal was available in 2024 and only for a few days at a time.

“We’re working to open the downtown section as soon as possible,” the NCC said on social media.

The ice conditions on the 4 km that are open Monday were listed as snow-covered Monday afternoon with sweeping ongoing.