By wearing helmets, skaters are following NCC safety recommendations.
The ice is cleared. The shacks are up. And skaters have been given the green light to venture onto the Rideau Canal.
But as Winterlude approaches, organizers are working to ensure that one corner of the Skateway does not draw a crowd: the paramedics’ headquarters.
“When it first opened for skating, we had a pretty busy weekend,” said J.P. Trottier, a representative for The Ottawa Paramedic Service. “That first Saturday we received five calls in three hours, including one head injury.”
Paramedics then issued a statement encouraging people to wear helmets when they take to the ice. But if the talk among skaters is any indication, getting them to do so may be an uphill battle.
“That’s not very stylish,” said Megan Greenough, taking a break from skating the following Saturday afternoon. Greenough said she would not consider wearing a helmet. “It looks stupid.”
Sitting next to her on the picnic bench near the Beaver Tails shack, Sheldon McGrath nodded in agreement. When he was younger, McGrath played Junior B hockey. “I’ve been on skates for 14 years,” he said. “I feel pretty safe.”
The National Capital Commission does not force people to wear helmets, but it has taken steps to encourage it.
For the second year in a row, the NCC is requiring that skate rental shacks operating on the canal provide free safety equipment like helmets and wrist guards with every rental.
There is growing interest in renting those helmets, says the owner of Capital Skates, Robert Taillefer. “But so far, it’s mostly kids."
But as kids grow up, it becomes more difficult to convince them to wear a helmet.
Out on the ice, Nancy Greenwood said her teenage daughter Katie Cartier wouldn't have agreed to spend the afternoon with her if she’d been forced into protective equipment. Both women’s heads were bare.
“I grew up on a skating rink,” Greenwood said. “Probably, it’s safe. But life is a risk, eh?”
With Winterlude on its way, slips and falls aren’t the only safety considerations on the canal. During peak periods, the ice will have to accommodate 60,000 to 80,000 skaters. So how does the NCC know the ice is safe?
“It’s very precise,” said Alain Nantel, who oversees the management of ice on the Skateway.
“We need 30 centimetres of good quality ice before we can open it.”
Not just any ice will do. Workers drill out samples to check for quality. If it’s white, that means it’s full of air bubbles and will be more brittle.
“That’s not as good,” Nantel said. “But if it’s clear, we know we’ve got good ice.”
The committee that works on ice safety is independent from the NCC. Nantel said that means workers aren't pressured to open the Skateway – changing the flags by the canal from red to green – until the ice is ready.
Nantel said the public must also contribute to safety. Hockey sticks, bicycles and dogs are not allowed on the ice. Trottier also advises people to look out for divots and cracks on the uneven surface.
“It’s the Rideau Canal. It’s different than a rink. They don’t clean it up with a zamboni,” he said.
As the season goes on and crowds grow, some injuries are bound to happen – but Nantel isn’t worried.
“When you look at the number of people that get hurt,” he said, “the ratios are extremely low, if you consider the number of people who are out on the Skateway.”