Winnipeg's river trail in jeopardy of not opening this winter
A good week of below 20 C temperatures is what's needed, as well as another foot of ice
One of Winnipeg's most popular winter attractions is on thin ice.
Typically, it opens in January with a Zamboni-led parade. But anunseasonably-mild winter this yearhas left thin ice andsections of openwater along the AssiniboineRiver.
"There's been open water on theAssiniboine,actually, for quite a few years now but we were still able to build something sort ofadjacentto that. It will just depend on what freezes and where and whether or not it is safe to get all of our equipment on to build,"saidChelsea Thompson, spokeswoman forThe Forks North Portage Partnership, which owns and manages the popular tourist site.
"We also are working on a Plan B if, for some reason, we're not able to have the Red River Mutual Trail actually on the Assiniboine or the Red this year. Then we'll look for an alternative on land," Thompson said.
"We want to have a Plan B just in case but we're not ready to make that call at this point.I think we're looking at the end of January as sort of that cut-off point."
In the meantime, skaters can still carve some ice at The Forks. Thekilometre-long trail that weaves through theArctic Glacier Winter Park, as well as the canopy rink and therinks by the festival stage are open.
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"We find in the winter time numbers [of visitors] rival those of our summer so you know, July and August, the typical tourist season, we're now seeing those same numbers in January and February,"Thompsonsaid.
"Alot of that is due in part to the fact that they are arriving via the Red River Mutual Trail. So without that it would definitely have an impact on who's coming."