Entire length of Rideau Canal Skateway opens Friday morning

The Rideau Canal will open all 7.8 kilometres of the skatewayon Friday morning, the National Capital Commission has announced.

The 52ndskating season will begin at 8 a.m. Friday and there will be some changes from the pandemic-affected 2021 season.

The NCC has explainedits general standards for opening a stretch of the canal are an ice thickness of 30 centimetres, which takes about 10 to 14 days of temperatures in the -10 C to -20 C range.

WATCH | What it looks like to get the canal ready:

Workers flood Rideau Canal in preparation for 2021-2022 season

3 years ago

Duration 0:56

Workers flood the Rideau Canal during the first week of January as the National Capital Commission prepares for the skateways 52nd season.

The neighbouring Queen Elizabeth Driveway on its western side is open for exercise and closed to vehiclesbetweenSomerset Street West and Fifth Avenue Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Last year's skating season lasted 29 daysfrom late January to late February, its shortest season yet.