Rideau Canal Festival (2012 Dates TBA)
| August 3, 2012 | to | August 6, 2012 |
A Celebration of the Rideau Canal as a UNESCO World Heritage Site via heritage, environment and active living activities, including Rideau Heritage Village, Colonel By Day Celebration, heritage walking tour, Flotilla – Day and Night, Environment Fair and bicycle parade
General information: 613.288.0970
General information email: info@rideaucanalfestival.ca
Locations: Various spots along the Rideau Canal from Hog’s Back to the Ottawa River Locks
On the Web: www.rideaucanalfestival.ca
Map:
View Rideau Canal Festival in a larger map
He skates and skates and skates … and scores
JOE LOFARO / METRO OTTAWA
Organizers of the Beaver Cup Pond Hockey Festival will attempt to set a Guinness World Record on the Rideau Canal skateway next weekend for the longest breakaway goal.
The attempt will start at 7:15 a.m. on Feb. 11 on the ice near Chateau Laurier, and six skaters will pass the puck to each other in a relay-style trek across the 7.8-kilometre skateway.
The Beaver Cup Festival is a weekend-long four-on- four pond-hockey tournament. Participants in the tournament will include Ottawa Senators alumni and media personalities.
Read full story: He skates and skates and skates … and scores
Winterlude
| February 3, 2012 | to | February 20, 2012 |
Photo Credit: NCC/CCN
A flurry of fun in Canada’s Capital Region!
Come to Winterlude, where three fun-filled weekends of excitement and activity await the whole family! From glittering ice carvings and majestic snow sculptures to a gigantic snow playground and explosive shows under the winter sky, Winterlude is a great way to celebrate and enjoy the winter season. Experience the Rideau Canal – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest skating rink. All this and much more await you during Winterlude, the Capital’s winter celebration.
Festival Information:
General information:613-239-5000 ● 1-800-465-1867● 613-239-5090 (TTY) ● 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY)
General information email: info@ncc-ccn.ca
Location: Rideau Canal Skateway, Crystal Garden Confederation Park, Snowflake Kingdom Jacques-Cartier Park, Gatineau
On the Web:
Website: Winterlude
YouTube: CCN/NCC
Map:
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NCC diversifies Winterlude, making it less dependent on cold weather
Mark Brownlee, The Ottawa Citizen
Photo courtesy Ottawa Citizen, by Pat McGrath
Unpredictable February weather will force Winterlude to focus less on its winter theme in the years to come, organizers say of the festival that has traditionally drawn tourists by celebrating Canada’s cold climate.
Fluctuating temperatures have wreaked havoc on the event in the past few years. Temperatures went as high as 10 C on the Friday before the last weekend of the 2011 edition, forcing organizers to change some marquee events such as the ice sculpture competition and to temporarily close the Rideau Canal to skating.
The event’s organizer, the federally-funded National Capital Commission, has already moved to diversify its lineup from such traditional winter-themed activities to those not dependent on weather. This year’s events include a jazz festival in Confederation Park and a beer and ice wine festival in Gatineau.
Full story on the Ottawa Citizen Website: NCC diversifies Winterlude, making it less dependent on cold weather
Top 10 Family Activities in Ontario: Rideau Canal Amongst the Top
National Geographic
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A Trip to the Cottage
Ontario is a big, diverse place and its residents, spread across more than a million square kilometers, don’t lay claim to all that many shared experiences. But if there’s one Ontario tradition that’s nearly universal, it’s the family trip to the cottage.
Cottage time is all about campfires, canoe rides, and rainy-day board games. Visitors can get in on the action too; rental cottages are widely available. Popular “cottage country” areas include the Kawarthas and Muskoka, both within a couple hours’ drive of Toronto, and the Rideau Lakes, near Ottawa.
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Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo is the largest in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. Its 460-plus animal species are organized by their region of origin. In addition to the main exhibits, the zoo also offers a special children’s zone with demonstrations, a splash park, and interactive activities for kids.
In recent years the Toronto Zoo has substantially expanded its conservation and education efforts, upgrading animal habitats and funding research projects worldwide. Ask about the zoo’s family-focused educational programs.
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Rideau Canal (Ottawa)
Ottawa’s Rideau Canal is a national historic site and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was built after the War of 1812 as the key link in a chain of locks, rivers, and lakes that provided an alternate route between Montreal and Kingston, in case of an American invasion of the St. Lawrence River. Today it’s an urban waterway lined with trees and bike paths—perfect for renting a canoe, pedal boat, or bicycle and cruising through downtown. In winter, it’s transformed into the world’s longest skating rink.
Read more on the National Geographic website: Top 10 Family Activities in Ontario
Rideau Canal Skateway likely to open mid-January
Dan Neutel, The Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA — With the expected return of cold weather Tuesday, the National Capital Commission is predicting the Rideau Canal will be open for skating by mid-month.
“We’re still on target,” said Jasmine Leduc of NCC media relations. “On average the Rideau Canal Skateway opens in the first half of January, weather permitting.”
This will be the 42nd skating season on the canal.
“Last year the skating season opened on Jan. 8, and it closed on March 6,” says Leduc. “Visitors enjoyed 53 days of skating through a 58 day skating season. And it included a beautiful stretch of 40 consecutive days with near ideal skating conditions.
“On average over the past five years, the Rideau Canal Skateway offered 45 skating days during a season that lasted on average 50 days,” says Leduc.
The key to good ice is cold weather with no snow. Snow acts as a thermal blanket preventing the ice from thickening.
“We’re hoping that the mild weather this past weekend had very little impact on the ice,” said Leduc. “We’re hoping that the cold weather will return shortly and that we’ll be able to resume our flooding operations.”
Cue the gondolas for summer fun next year
NCC puts out calls for ideas to ‘animate’ Rideau Canal
Chloé Fedio, Ottawa Citizen
Imagine gondola rides on the Rideau Canal and fire-juggling acrobats in the surrounding green space.
These ideas could become a reality, after the National Capital Commission put out an open call for pilot projects to “animate” the canal as early as June 2012.
The request for submissions is intentionally vague, said Marie Lemay, chief executive officer of the NCC.
“We thought it would be interesting to let the creative minds in the capital region really tell us what type of project would be great to animate,” Lemay said. “We’re testing a different approach on this. Why don’t we let the market tell us where the activities should take place and what kind of activities should take place.”
Proposals must include details on the concept, a financial model and can have a timeline of up to three years. The NCC will not fund projects but will offer use of the canal and its shoreline, from Rideau Street all the way to, but not including, Dow’s Lake.
NCC Launches Request for Expression of Interest for Programming along the Rideau Canal
NCC seeks pilot projects that will enhance the “Capital Experience” on these urban spaces
Canada’s Capital Region ─ The National Capital Commission (NCC) is seeking innovative projects that will animate the shorelines of the Rideau Canal and enhance the “Capital Experience”.
These projects would be implemented as of the summer 2012 by the person or organization that proposes, as a pilot project, to develop or animate the Rideau Canal shorelines. Each selected project will be assessed after the duration of the pilot, which is for a maximum of three years, in order to decide on its future.
“We are hoping that the breadth of this request for expression of interest will result in proposals of creative uses of the Capital’s underutilized urban spaces,” said Marie Lemay, Chief Executive Officer of the NCC. “These spaces represent an enormous opportunity to contribute to the vibrancy of our region.”
Projects will be evaluated by the NCC in light of their overall contribution to the goals of this request for expression of interest and their feasibility.
The request for expression of interest can be found at www.canadascapital.ca . For more information, the public may contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 1-800-465-1867, 613-239-5090 (TTY) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY).
Ottawa Tourism launches Bonus Booking Offers
Third night free offer coming soon!
[Source: Ottawa Tourism press release]
OTTAWA, November 22, 2011—Ottawa Tourism has just launched Bonus Booking Offers, a program that gives visitors customized offers based on total hotel value at participating hotels. For example, a stay valued at $200 might offer free breakfast while a stay valued at $300 might offer free parking. Bonus offers are managed by individual hotels on the www.OttawaTourism.ca website’s booking engine and are available for new reservations at participating hotels.
Another enticing offer is just a couple weeks away from being launched: as of November 30, visitors to Ottawa can indulge in a Third Night Free at participating hotels for bookings and travel between November 30, 2011 and March 31, 2012.
Both options make it extra-easy to plan an Ottawa getaway to enjoy holiday cheer, skate on the Rideau Canal, attend the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Game festivities or indulge in Winterlude activities.
“We strive to keep our offers fresh and enticing,” says Noel Buckley, President and CEO of Ottawa Tourism. “By working closely with our hotel and attraction partners the new Bonus Booking Offers allow hotels to provide value-added options to consumers who, as a result, may end up staying longer for less and enjoying more, especially when combined with the Third Night Free promotion.”
Ottawa Tourism provides industry leadership and destination marketing to service the travel media and attract visitors, tours and conventions to Ottawa and Canada’s Capital Region. Visit Ottawa Tourism at www.ottawatourism.ca
World Heritage Day: Rideau Canal Festival Recognizes Jo MacFadden and Parks Canada
It was with great honour that today the Rideau Canal Festival awarded to Ms. Jo MacFadden, film and television producer, the Annual World Heritage Rideau Canal Festival Award, during an event which saw the raising of the UNESCO flag, in celebration of World Heritage Day at City Hall.
Every year the Festival recognizes an organization or an individual that has contributed to the preservation and promotion of the Rideau Canal in a remarkable way. In fact, this year the Rideau Canal Festival also chose to honour Alan Latourelle, CEO of Parks Canada on their 100th Anniversary and for their exemplary dedication to preserving the Canal for generations to come.
Clearly, Ontario benefits from the fact that the Rideau Canal is one of Canada’s 15 world heritage sites, the only one in the province. It was officially designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2007 and with their collaboration, a symbolic award of a sculpted wooden metre, defending the Festival’s green mission of “Aim for Zero” is given to the chosen recipient. See http://www.rideaucanalfestival.ca/adopt.html. This year marks the 4th anniversary of the Rideau Canal World Heritage Award ceremony.
“We are once again pleased to present the Rideau Canal World Heritage Award. Several individuals and organizations are dedicated to the preservation and general promotion of the Canal as we cherish its place within our city and recognize the impact it has for citizens and visitors along with the economic impact it has on the business community. It is therefore, befitting that we recognize and thank those individuals and organizations, today “, indicated Blair Patacairk, Chair of the Rideau Canal Festival.
Joining Mr. Patacairk, were Mayor Jim Watson, David A. Walden, Secretary-General, Arts Council of Canada, Canadian Commission for UNESCO, and Alan Latourelle, CEO of Parks Canada.
For more information, please contact:
Suzanne Valiquet
613-222-7839
