From the weather variations that brought you Winterlude...

The National Capital Commission recently announced that they will not have the Snowbowl outdoor concert stage this year as part of Winterlude. They said that the big expense applied to that venue can be used for many other attractions during the winter-themed festival, which starts in three weeks. One of the reasons cited by the NCC is the impact on global warming caused by the CO₂ emissions from the heaters on the stage.

In a heaping pile of irony, the Rideau Canal, the world's largest skating rink, opened yesterday, and is looking to be rather slushy over the next few days as temperatures hover around zero. This will prevent them from flooding the ice to get a good smooth skating surface. Trends suggest that Ottawa's climate is getting warmer, with winter temperatures being more conducive to freezing rain than to frozen canals.

Bummer. One of the things I like about winter (aside from motorists' misery in snowstorms) is skating on the Rideau canal. It's free, it's car-free, it's fun.

But only when the ice is good.

[I re-used this logo in a 2011 post]

- RG>