How to ice skate safely in the Ottawa region

“Even if you’ve skated on a frozen pond or a waterway every year at this time, with our changing water and weather conditions, no ice is safe ice.”

Published Jan 05, 2024 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 3 minute read

Skaters on Lac Deschênes near Britannia Beach in Ottawa during the holiday break. Photo by Jean Levac /Jean Levac

The temperature is dropping, but ice safety experts are still urging caution before finding yourself a river you can skate away on.

“Our broad message is that no ice is safe ice,” said Sean Duffy, area chair of the Lifesaving Society and a representative on the Ottawa Drowning Prevention Coalition.

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Overnight lows in the double digits below freezing have improved ice conditions in the national capital region, but it is still less than two weeks since the tragedy on the Rideau River in which two teens drowned.

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“Even if you’ve skated on a frozen pond or a waterway every year at this time, with our changing water and weather conditions, no ice is safe ice,” Duffy reiterated.

“Look at your neighbourhood rink. If that person is having trouble making ice — and they need about 10 centimetres of thickness — then you can be sure that, in open water areas where there’s moving water, that the ice isn’t going to be safe.”

The Canadian Red Cross suggests 15 centimetres of strong, clear ice is required to support one person or a small group walking, skating or skiing on the ice. Larger groups require 20 centimetres thickness, while 25 centimetres is needed for a snowmobile or an all-terrain vehicle. At least 30 centimetres of ice is required before venturing out in a car or pickup truck.

Rivers and streams are particularly dangerous because currents can thin and weaken the ice. Storm water ponds, like those found in many sub-divisions, are special hazards because the water is moving and the water levels beneath the ice can fluctuate.

“Those are never safe,” Duffy said.

Mud Lake in the Britannia Conservation Area is a popular skating spot that has tempted many skaters this year with a smooth, snow-free surface. On New Year’s Day, just two days after the Rideau River drownings, Ottawa police were called to the lake by a complainant and warned several skaters that the ice was unsafe. All complied and left the ice surface, police said.

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But there’s no law preventing people from venturing onto the ice.

“The city asks that residents avoid going onto any frozen lakes or rivers as they are not maintained, and safety cannot be guaranteed,” Tracey McGarry, Ottawa’s director of Complexes, Aquatics & Specialty Services, wrote in an email.

“Through the Ottawa Drowning Prevention Coalition, of which the city is a partner, regular public education campaigns and social media posts are issued asking all residents to stay off of frozen lakes and rivers.”

If you do venture out, Duffy has advice. Sometimes the ice has been tested and a safe area has been cordoned off for skating.

“Be aware of the conditions. Is the ice clear? Is it blue?” he said. That’s the type of ice that’s strongest. Freeze-thaw cycles produce greyish white ice that’s softer and makes it difficult to judge the ice thickness.

“Is it moving water? Rivers are always dangerous environments. Lakes can be safer, but you still have to check.”

The Drowning Prevention Coalition advocates having layers of protection. Wear a life jacket or a floater coat, one that will keep you both warm and buoyant. An ice safety kit includes hand picks you can use to pull yourself back up on top of the ice should you fall through.

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“Take training,” he said. “Go to a swimming pool and take a life saving class. You can learn what to do if you fall through the ice so you can save yourself or help save someone else.”

Or you can look for alternatives to skating on lakes and rivers, such as the Rink of Dreams at Ottawa City Hall. This year, the city’s Play Free program offers free skating for youths 17 and under at more than 30 city arenas.

If you crave that open-air feeling, the woodland skating trails at Patinage en Forêt in Lac-des-Loups north of Gatineau Park, are open for skating on five kilometres of trails. Closer to Ottawa, Icelynd in Stittsville and Petit Pinguin in Gatineau expect to be open for skating next week.

As for the Rideau Canal Skateway — that will be a while yet, the National Capital Commission says.

“The public is asked to remain off the Rideau Canal, as the surface of the Skateway remains dangerously thin,” the NCC said in an update on social media.

The canal skateway needs 10-14 consecutive days of temperature between -10 C and -20 C to freeze to the required 30 centimetres of thickness for the skateway to open.