Business lukewarm during Winterlude with main attraction still closed

With the Rideau Canal Skateway still closed, businesses that rely on the bump in revenue from the Winterlude festival are feeling the pinch.

The annual event has been plagued this year by snow, too-warm temperatures, then too-cold temperatures. It's now staring down rain and ice pellets with highs of 3 and 4 C ahead of the festival's second weekend. 

The National Capital Commission (NCC) says the ice on the skateway has to be 30 centimetres thick to safely open, which hasn't happened yet — if it does it will be the latest opening of the skateway in its more than 50-year history.

The NCC said it's working to open the canal and will provide an update later this week.

CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning spoke to businesses still holding their breath for a late opening and late return on their marketing and staffing investments. 

The president of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association said there's always risk when holding an event tied to the weather.

"It could be too cold, it could be too warm, it could be too wet, could be too dry, could be too windy, it could be too snowy … You have to be a hardy Canadian to just come and enjoy," said Steve Ball.

Hotels not full for final weekend

The 11,000 hotel rooms his association represents aren't full. Ball said they usually would be during the festival's final weekend, which includes Ontario's Family Day Monday, and he's still optimistic. 

"A section of [the canal] will fulfil what we need to do to bring back the whole Winterlude buzz," he said. 

"It's a very short booking window. So they often don't book until the Thursday or even the Friday for that weekend."

He said some tourists are still coming and they're enjoying Winterlude's other attractions. 

It's too late for the Winterlude Triathlon.

Rick Helland, who organizes the event, said they had to cancel the skating portion for the first time in 36 years. They subbed in a snowshoeing leg, but still felt the drop in attendance. 

"We normally get 350 people and we were down to 45. So from an income standpoint, that's pretty huge and we're just one small little event." 

On the triathlon's website, the event now refers to itself as the "Winterlude Whatever" after the last-minute changes. 

BeaverTails staff waiting for ice

BeaverTails got its start at Winterlude in a kiosk on Dows Lake 42 years ago, according to founder Grant Hooker. Now, he said, it has six locations specifically for the festival, none of which are open yet.

Hooker said they have between 250 and 300 hires trained and waiting for the ice to freeze to get to work.

"It's a losing year so far. We've invested tens of thousands of dollars in getting ready and we haven't had a penny come back our way across the counter yet," Hooker said. 

Despite having seen unpredictable winters and the havoc they wreak on his business model, Hooker said he's still committed to the event. 

"We would do it just for, even for, a single day. As soon as there are skaters on the canal, our shutters come up, our windows get open."

Also on Dows Lake, staff at Mexi's restaurant said the area has been a ghost town without skaters. On days that might be particularly slow, the restaurant hasn't opened at all. 

Further up the canal. the general manager of the Canal Ritz restaurant said he is thankful for loyal locals coming to dine. 

Christopher Burke said the closed canal impacts businesses throughout Ottawa, not just along the canal, because it draws international tourists.

"It's a big blow to the economy at this time of the year," he said. "Mother Nature is playing a bad trick on us."'

From the vantage point of his restaurant, he can draw hope from the sight of NCC staff working away.

"They've been really dedicated and you can tell that they want it more than anybody to get this thing open."