Tell us: Are there too many rules around the Canada 150 Ice Rink?

As a year of sesquicentennial events in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday draws to a close, Ottawa is readying its Parliament Hill ice rink for opening day on Dec. 7.

The rink is part of a $5.6-million project including a contest to bring 32 peewee
hockey teams to the Hill for a tournament at the end of December. It’ll also feature hockey workshops and ice sport demonstrations, and will be outfitted with a cooling system, bleachers and a change area.

As fun as that sounds, Parliament Hill just wouldn’t feel like the seat of Canada’s government without a few ground rules, and the Canada 150 Ice Rink has plenty of them.

For starters, skaters won’t be able to use the rink without pre-booking a pass for a free 40-minute scheduled skating session. Hockey and figure skating, two classic Canadian activities, are also outlawed. Foul language is forbidden, as is inappropriate behaviour, although, “inappropriate behaviour” isn’t defined.

Heritage Canada lists some other guidelines on the rink’s official website, but these are some of the most important ones to follow if you want to enjoy the rink between Dec. 7 and the end of February.