A warming climate threatens one Ottawan’s cherished winter tradition.
One of my fondest childhood memories is skating on the glassy surface of the Rideau Canal to my favourite destination — the beavertail hut. Every year, the lure of that sugary treat spurred me on. Until, that is, the winter of 2022/23, when Ottawa’s Rideau Canal didn’t freeze for the first time in recorded history.
This year, things have been better, but only marginally. The median opening date over the past 54 years for skating on the Rideau is January 1 and the season typically lasts 50 days. This past December 2023 offered a mild start to winter, and it wasn’t until January 21 — three weeks later than is typical — that the Rideau opened for skating. Even then, it was only on one section of the canal. Four days later, it was closed again.
Ottawa resident Rose Litchez said she “had never seen anything like this” and “always expected to be able to skate on the canal no matter what.” Her dismay was shared by residents and tourists who missed the skating and by business owners who typically profit from the influx in tourism. With December through February temperatures in Ottawa usually between -10 to -20°C, skating on the Rideau provides a perk to an otherwise brutal season.
But a not-so-frozen Rideau isn’t a surprise to anyone paying attention. The whole year of 2023 set records as the warmest, including December 2023, which clocked in at 1.43 ºC above the 20th-century average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
We can partially blame El Niño. An El Niño year occurs roughly every two to seven years, lasts nine to twelve months and delivers a milder winter in the northern U.S. and Canada. But even without El Niño, warmer winters are delaying Ottawa’s skating season. It’s an expensive problem — the National Capital Commission spends around $1 million annually to prepare the ice, advertise, and build rest huts that, in the case of winter 2022/23, were never used.
Hopefully, the river will open again this winter; although, due to warm weather forecasts, this does not seem likely. Only time will tell. My skates are at the back door, blades sharpened and ready to, again, transport me to the beavertail hut. I just need an old-fashioned Ottawa winter to make it happen!
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment is petitioning to ask Canadian Heritage to refuse Ottawa’s Winterlude sponsorship from Enbridge, the largest distributor of methane-heavy natural gas in the country. “These sorts of sponsorships really, really continue to normalize the fossil fuel economy,” said Leah Temper, the association’s health and economic policy program director. To sign, click here.
