Victoria Day in Toronto: What’s open and what’s closed

The long weekend that unofficially kicks off the cottage season is here. Here’s a look at what’s open, what’s closed, and what’s happening on the roads for the Victoria Day weekend in Toronto.

Shopping, entertainment and activities

• Retail businesses in areas considered tourist destinations are exempt from Toronto’s  holiday closure bylaw. Areas include Yorkville, downtown Yonge, Queen’s Quay West and the Distillery District.  Throughout the city, restaurants and bars, small retail stores, gas stations and a few other types of businesses are allowed to stay open if they choose.
• The CF Toronto Eaton Centre (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Square One (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Vaughan Mills (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.), Toronto Premium Outlets (9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and Pacific Mall are open. Other major malls are closed.
• Most grocery stores are closed. Select flagship stores downtown remain open.
• LCBO locations are closed on Monday, though many LCBO locations in cottage country will be open later on Fridays and Saturdays for the season starting this weekend. Beer Store locations are also closed Monday.
• Tourist attractions such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, the Ontario Science Centre and the Hockey Hall of Fame are open. The Toronto Zoo, while normally open on holidays, is closed due to a strike.
• Major movie theatres will remain open.
• The Toronto Islands are closed to the public due to flooding.
• Fireworks at Ashbridges Bay on Monday night are going ahead, though the city says they will be launched from a barge instead of the beach due to high water levels.
• Fort York National Historic Site and Spadina Museum are open, as well as High Park Zoo, Riverdale Farm and the Centennial Park and Allan Gardens conservatories.

Government services

• Federal, provincial and municipal government offices, including Service Canada and Service Ontario, will be closed.
• Mail collection and delivery is cancelled for Monday.
• City of Toronto curbside waste collection does not occur on Mondays, but there are some changes for other services.
• Toronto Public Library branches will be closed on Sunday and Monday.

Getting around

• The TTC is running on holiday service on Monday, meaning the system will be on a Sunday schedule but with an earlier start. The subway is closed from Sheppard West to St. George stations on Saturday and Sunday.
• GO Transit is operating on a Saturday schedule on Monday. Train service along the Lakeshore East line will be less frequent due to construction at Guildwood station from Friday to Monday.
• There will be road/lane closures starting Friday at 1 p.m. in the area of Lake Shore Boulevard and York Street due to the demolition of the York-Bay-Yonge Gardiner Expressway ramp. The roads are expected to reopen by 11 p.m. on Monday.
• On Monday, there will be partial road closures from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. between Strachan Avenue to York Street and Lake Shore Boulevard to Wellington due to the Walk With Israel.
• The intersection of Dundas Street East and Parliament Street remains closed, and TTC vehicles are diverting.
• TTC vehicles will be diverting due to road closures near Ashbridges Bay for the fireworks on Monday.
• Due to the removal of the Hudson’s Bay Company pedestrian bridge, the block of Queen Street between Yonge and Bay Streets will be closed to traffic as of 11 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.