Rideau Canal closures affecting businesses in Ottawa
By Dylan Parobec
Businesses are feeling the burn of Rideau Canal closures after a puzzlingly late start to the skating season despite a long stretch of record-setting cold weather in December.
The world-famous skateway didn’t open until Jan. 5, but was already closed for maintenance by Jan. 10. The National Capital Commission blamed warm temperatures and freezing rain for the shutdown.
The canal was reopened for several days before the mercury rose above zero. By Jan. 20, the mildness had forced the NCC to narrow one section of the skateway near Laurier Avenue and warn skaters about “soft ice.”
By Jan. 22, more warm and wet weather, followed by freezing rain, had shut the canal down again.
Consistent ice quality “is pretty much everything for business,” said Diane MacDonald, program manager at Dows Lake Pavilion. A decision to close the canal “impacts not just skate rentals, which is obvious, but the parking lot because less people come into … all of the restaurants at the pavilion.”
She added: “Even though we have snow shoes available and skate sharpening available, most people assume that with the canal closed everything is closed, and it impacts business.”
Dows Lake Pavilion is located at the south end of the canal near Carleton University, which means that when the canal is only partially open, the pavilion is prone to being cut off from skaters. MacDonald said that the disappointing 18 days of skating during the 2015-2016 season translated into only 13 days of activity for Dows Lake Pavilion.
“I have to look at the Weather Network to basically plan how many employees I need on — and if it’s a nice day, I need more. If it looks like there are a couple bad days, then you need to gauge whether the canal is going to be open,” MacDonald said. “The employees know that bad weather can close us or their hours are deducted or cut completely.”
Marcus Bender, president and founder of IKO! Tours, said an open canal is a crucial part of his company’s business.
“It’s what we advertise for our tours. It definitely generates a lot of sales, so I’d say it’s fairly important,” Bender said. “I don’t think people would like to travel to Ottawa if they don’t have a unique experience like skating on the Rideau Canal.”
Bender leads most of the tours himself and said that one of the biggest issues is the anxiety going to the Rideau Canal with a group and the possibility of it being closed. “If we know leading up to the date the weather is going to be mild, we do see an effect in our sales,” he said.
“It’s huge,” said Gord Martin, owner of Cyco’s bike shop near Pretoria Bridge, referring to the canal’s impact on business. “For us especially, beause we rent skates. That’s our main winter business, so it’s a huge bonus when it’s open.”
Added Martin: “I’ve owned this store for 20 years and that is the biggest difference — 20 years ago, come hell or high water, they get that thing open.”
Martin said that he had friends who had been ice fishing on the Ottawa River before Christmas and said he isn’t convinced that weather is the only factor determining when the canal is open.
He said that as a business owner, it’s difficult to schedule shifts due to the unpredictability of when the canal is going to be opened.
“What they (the NCC) like to do is say, ‘Hey we’re opening at 8 o’clock in the morning,’ — and they’ll say that on the news at 6 a.m.,” Martin said. “Then you’re scrambling to get an extra body into the store.”