The National Capital Commission is considering a feasibility study that would use refrigeration pipes to help freeze a portion of Ottawa’s Rideau Canal Skateway.
The Story
The National Capital Commission (NCC) says it is considering an option to artificially freeze part of the Rideau Canal to cope with climate change and keep the Rideau Canal Skateway operating more consistently.
The feasibility study is assessing the use of refrigeration pipes embedded in concrete to help freeze a 900-metre stretch of the canal downtown, covering just over 10 per cent of the Skateway.
NCC chief operating executive officer Tobi Nussbaum said the study recommends using refrigeration pipes embedded in concrete, similar to systems used to freeze outdoor rinks.
NCC senior manager of facilities and programs Bruce Devine said the project would be expensive, adding: “It’s significant. It will be in the millions. We will be looking for funding from a federal program. Other sources of funding will be researched.”
Devine said the number of days the canal is open could triple if the plan proceeds, but it would not happen until after 2030.
He also said the project would place an emphasis on reducing its carbon footprint, aiming for carbon neutrality if the system is feasible through opportunities to recover and reuse heat.
The Skateway first opened in 1971 and has since expanded to offer 7.8 kilometres of ice.
The NCC says it expects about 19,000 visitors daily during winter months, and the Skateway is also part of Ottawa’s Winterlude festival, which draws an average of 500,000 visitors over about 2.5 weeks each February.
The NCC says one of the warmest winters on record in 2023 meant the Skateway did not open at all for the first time in its history, and in 2024 it opened for just 10 days.
← More stories