St. Andrew's Gathering at Sir John A.'s House

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St. Andrew's Gathering at Sir John A.'s House

Each year at around St. Andrew's Day (November 30), the Scottish hordes descend from the Hill (or up from the Valley) to occupy a grand house overlooking the Ottawa River.  They eat the food, drink the whisky, and make their announcements, then roll up their sleeps, hike up their kilts and get ready to present several weeks of Scottish themed activities in the Nation's Capital.

Once again, His Excellency, Howard Drake, British High Commissioner, and Mrs. Gill Drake opened their home to those celebrating the patron saint of Scotland.

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Canada 150 Kilt Skate: the biggest yet!

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Canada 150 Kilt Skate: the biggest yet!

As Canada approaches the launch of its celebrations of 150 years as a nation, the Scottish community across the country is preparing to begin the party this winter with a kilt skate.  As of the beginning of November, six cities have begun to organize their events. In the coming weeks, they may be joined by several more.  The kilt skate is gaining momentum as a uniquely Canadian way to celebrate Scottish heritage.

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Perth: if you can skate in 30 below, try running in 30 above!

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Perth: if you can skate in 30 below, try running in 30 above!

What a weekend for the annual World Record Kilt Run in Perth Ontario. By early afternoon, the temperatures had climbed to over 30 degrees Celsius, but that didn't prevent some 4000 kilted runners from gathering on Gore Street in the Eastern Ontario town that boasts one of the best preserved historical main streets in the country.

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Preparing for Kilt Skate 2017

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Preparing for Kilt Skate 2017

More than five million Canadians claim Scottish heritage. The mission of the Scottish Society of Ottawa is to promote awareness and appreciation of Scottish culture, and its contribution to the fabric of Canadian society and identity. We do this by engaging many Canadians of all backgrounds. The kilt skate is not just for people of Scottish descent. We want everyoneto join in, and we’re greatly inspired that Canadians of a wide range of ethnic backgrounds wear tartan in their scarves, shirts and hats.  So we will encourage Canadians to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday by wearing Canada’s favourite colour – tartan!

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The brier puts the focus on indoor ice

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The warm weather has put an end to the skating season on outdoor rinks, speed ovals and the Skateway, but this week all eyes are on the indoor ice at TD Place for the Tim Hortons Brier. For an explanation of the game, or to keep up with the latest results, check out Curling Canada's website.

Fourteen teams representing the clubs across Canada plus the winner of last year's brier (represented as "Team Canada") vie for the Canadian curling championship. 

We may update the curling news in the coming days, but in the meantime, the Scottish Society of Ottawa is working on a letter it will send to potential kilt skate partners as we plan events for Canada's 150th birthday next year. We hope to make the 3rd Annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate the biggest and best ever.


The canal is closed; the skating continues.

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The canal is closed; the skating continues.

At just 18 days, the 2016 was the shortest skating season on record. The entire length of the canal was open, it seems, for only a few days, including the last weekend during Winterlude. Still, it was a beautiful skate!

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Thrawn: Skating when it's 40 below

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Thrawn: Skating when it's 40 below

The winter gods have a sense of humour. Last week, the temperatures were so warm, the Rideau Canal Skateway was covered with meltwater and had to be closed.  This weekend, it opens once more, but the thermometer drops to minus-29 and, with the wind chill, minus-40.

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Canal is open -- Winterlude will be back on ice!

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Canal is open -- Winterlude will be back on ice!

A week of unseasonably warm weather has kept the Rideau Canal Skateway closed, refocusing last weekend's Winterlude activities on the off-ice areas such as the Cartier Park snow slides, the Confederation Park ice sculptures, and the snow sculptures at Lansdowne Park. But good news:  the cold weather is back! The canal is open again! And just in time for upcoming final weekend of Winterlude.

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Snow business like show business

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Snow business like show business

The warm weather has pretty well wiped out the Rideau Canal Skateway for this second weekend of Winterlude. But when you're attracting hundreds of thousands of people to Ottawa from across Canada and around the world, the show must go on!  And fortunately there's lots of options.

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Saskatoon: Kilt Skate Capital of Canada!

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Saskatoon: Kilt Skate Capital of Canada!

What was Saskatoon's secret? The weather helped. Last year, the temperature as around minus-30, but that didn't stop Sandy Campbell from playing the bagpipes while he skated the first Sir John A skate in 2015.

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