While a stormy holiday weekend is predicted in the forecast across southwestern Ontario, many London, Ont., residents are still setting out to celebrate, expect closures and reduced hours at various businesses and government offices over the break.
With Santa Claus coming to town, here’s a list of what’s open and closed in the city on Dec. 25:
Pharmacy
- All Shoppers Drug Marts in London are open Christmas Eve and Boxing Day with varying hours and closed Christmas Day.
- The Rexall location at 1593 Adelaide St. N. will be open on Christmas Day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All other Rexall locations will be closed on Christmas Day. Holiday hours will also be in place for all locations on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.
Food/Drink
- All Beer Store locations in the city will close at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and remain closed through Dec. 25. Select stores will be open on Boxing Day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. including:
- 1600 Dundas St. E.
- 155 Clarke Rd.
- 414 Wharncliffe Rd. S. (Drive Thru Only)
- 1080 Adelaide St. N.
- 1005 Wellington Rd. S.
- All LCBO locations will also close at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and remain closed on Christmas Day. Select locations will be open on Boxing Day. Please view the store locator on LCBO.com for more information on specific store hours.
- Labatt Brewery retail store (holiday hours might also occur on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day)
Shopping
- CF Masonville Place (will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Boxing Day)
- White Oaks Mall (will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Boxing Day)
- Westmount Shopping Centre and Cherry Hill Village Mall do not have any holiday hours listed.
- All Walmart Locations will be closed on Christmas Day with reduced hours on Christmas Eve (7 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
- Most grocery store locations. Customers are asked to call ahead or check online for specific store hours.
Government Facilities and Services
- city hall, along with a number of city offices, programs and services, will be closed from noon on Dec. 23 and will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 3, 2023.
- banks
- government offices
- post offices (no mail delivery)
- city waste services (no garbage collection)
- London Public Library locations will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day but will remain open with holiday hours on Christmas Eve.
Municipal/Recreation
- The City of London has cancelled all recreation and sport programs on Dec. 23 and 24. This includes programs and rentals in arenas, community centres, and aquatic facilities.
- most recreational facilities will be closed on Dec. 25 and 26
- The Factory will be opened with reduced hours on Christmas Eve (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and will be closed on Christmas Day.
- London Children’s Museum will also be open with reduced hours on Christmas Eve (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) as well as Boxing Day (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and will be closed on Christmas Day.
- Storybook Gardens is closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The winter skate trail will be open on Christmas Eve with reduced hours. More information can be found on the storybrook.london.ca website.
- The skating rink at Victoria Park is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., weather permitting. For more information, check out the City of London’s website.
Travel
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Over the holiday season, London Transit Commission will be operating on holiday and special schedules. On Christmas Eve, buses will be operating on a regular weekend schedule and holiday schedules will be running on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Visit the LTC’s routes and schedule page for more details.
While most parts of southwestern Ontario are in the midst of a major winter storm, the London International Airport says it is “fully staffed and prepared” for the weather.
On Thursday, WestJet announced that the airline would be cancelling flights out of B.C. and Ontario due to “extreme weather events.”
The service suspension will affect other Ontario and Quebec airports as well, including the London International Airport.
Multiple flights have since been cancelled out of the local airport and officials advise incoming travellers to confirm their flight status directly with their chosen airline for “the most accurate information and updates.”
However, while a predicted white Christmas is ahead, weather officials continue to advise residents to “consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve.”
Environment Canada says that a winter storm warning remains in effect for the London region heading into the holiday weekend, with wind gusts expected to reach up to 90 km/h, creating widespread blowing snow “which will significantly reduce visibility” with wind chills dropping the temperature down to the -20 range.
On Thursday, the Middlesex London Health Unit (MLHU) issued a cold weather alert for the London region set to remain in effect until Saturday.
In response, the City of London initiated its extreme temperature protocol and opened the following community centres as warming centres heading into the weekend:
- Stronach Arena located at 1221 Sanford St. (9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.)
- Medway Arena located at 119 Sherwood Forest Square (7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.)
- Earl Nichols Arena located at 799 Homeview Rd. (8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.)
Additionally, all London Public Library locations an inviting Londoners to stay warm during their regular hours of operation. Most locations are open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
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