Remembrance Day in Ottawa will see the return of crowds gathered at the National War Memorial downtown after a year of virtual observances amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Thursday morning service, organized by the Royal Canadian Legion, will be open to spectators with distancing and masking rules in place.
While some municipal services are operating as normal on Nov. 11, others are closing down for the day, and select retail businesses won’t be opening until the afternoon, in accordance with the City of Ottawa’s Remembrance Day bylaw.
Read on to find out what’s open and what’s closed on Thursday in Ottawa.
Food and drink
The city’s bylaw for Remembrance Day prohibits most retail businesses from opening before 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 11. This rule applies to many large grocery stores. Call individual locations to double-check their hours.
McKeen Metro on Bank Street in the Glebe is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Loblaws locations across Ottawa are open starting at 12:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., depending on the location.
Whole Foods at Lansdowne Park is open from 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
LCBO stores in Ottawa are operating on reduced hours. Stores are open from 12:30 p.m. until their normal closing hours.
Beer Stores in Ottawa are also opening their doors at 12:30 p.m.
Shopping
Small pharmacies don’t fall under the Remembrance Day bylaw but pharmacies located inside larger stores must be closed until 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. Contact a specific drug store for their hours.
Ottawa’s major shopping malls will open their doors in the afternoon.
The Rideau Centre, St. Laurent Shopping Centre and Bayshore Shopping Centre will all be open from 12:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Place d’Orléans will be open from 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. while Tanger Outlets will be open from 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Convenience or corner stores, gas stations, nurseries, gardening supply stores and florists will operate on a normal schedule.
Call any independent businesses for their store hours.
Museums and theatres
The Canadian War Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is offering free admission on Nov. 11, though tickets must be booked in advance. The same goes for the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, though it opens an hour later at 10 a.m.
The Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canada Science and Technology Museum and the Canada Aviation and Space Museum will also be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum will be open from 9:10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The National Gallery of Canada will be open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Municipal museums and theatres will be closed, though cinemas across the city will have regular showings on Thursday.
Garbage collection
Curbside garbage, recycling and green bin pickup will continue as normal.
The Trail Road waste facility will be open.
Ottawa Public Health
Ottawa Public Health’s COVID-19 phone line and information centres will be closed.
Coronavirus testing centres will be open for regular hours with the exception of the Centretown Community Health Centre, which will be closed.
The OPH COVID-19 vaccine booking line at 613-691-5505 will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The sexual health clinic and all satellite clinics will be closed.
The supervised consumption site at 179 Clarence St. will be closed.
The program’s mobile van will run from 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Dental clinics will be closed.
The baby helpline will be closed.
City of Ottawa services
Ottawa City Hall and client service centres, including the Government Service Centre at 110 Laurier Ave. W., will be closed.
All Ottawa Public Library branches are closed.
All municipal child-care centres are closed.
All the city’s indoor pools, arenas and fitness centres are open according to regular schedules.
The 311 contact centre is open for urgent matters that need the city’s immediate attention.
Transit
Veterans who wear their medals or uniforms from Nov. 5 to 11 won’t be charged to ride OC Transpo, Para Transpo or STO buses. Anyone accompanying them on public transit can ride at no charge as well.
OC Transpo is operating on a regular Thursday schedule. The Confederation Line LRT remains down, replaced by R1 bus service.
If it is safe to do so, OC Transpo and Para Transpo buses will pull over to the side of the road at 11 a.m. on Thursday to observe two minutes of silence, according to the city.
The customer service centre at the Rideau Centre is open from 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
All other customer service centres are closed.
Parking and roads
All City of Ottawa parking regulations and restrictions will apply on Remembrance Day.
Veterans who wear their medals or uniforms or who have a veterans’ licence plate on their vehicle can park for free at city hall on Thursday, Nov. 11 between 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
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