The August long weekend is just around the corner, and if you're spending it in the capital, you're probably wondering what's open on Civic Holiday in Ottawa this year — and what's not.
The holiday falls on Monday, August 4 this year, and things can get a little confusing when it comes to who actually gets the day off.
That's because the Civic Holiday isn't actually a stat holiday in Ontario. But in Ottawa, it is recognized as a municipal holiday — Colonel By Day — so while a bunch of government services will be shut down, most stores can open if they want to. And spoiler: many of them do.
Many Ottawa locations of major chains like Costco, Walmart, Loblaws and LCBO will be open, although most will have reduced hours. Meanwhile, some stores and services, like banks, City offices and Canada Post, are taking the day off.
So if you're planning to stock up on snacks, hit the mall or just figure out your Monday errands, we've got you. Here's a breakdown of what's open and closed on the Civic Holiday in Ottawa — including grocery stores, malls, liquor stores, public transit and more — plus a few fun things to do around town if you're lucky enough to have the day off.
Grocery stores
OPEN:
- Costco — All warehouses (including the Gloucester Business Centre) will be open for their regular hours.
- Farm Boy — All locations open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., except for the Rideau Centre location, which is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Foodland — Open regular hours.
- FreshCo — All locations open from either 8 or 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Metro — All locations open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., except for the Glebe location, which is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- No Frills — All locations open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Produce Depot — Both locations open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Real Canadian Superstore — All locations open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sobeys — Open regular hours.
- T&T — Open regular hours.
- Walmart — Open regular hours.
- Whole Foods — Open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Your Independent Grocer — Most locations will be open, and many will have reduced hours. As hours vary by location, you can check your local store's hours on the YIG website or give them a call to be sure.
Proceed with caution: Holiday-specific hours were not posted on the websites of Loblaws or Food Basics as of the time of publishing, and neither chain responded to our request for more information. While most stores are likely to be open, you may want to call your local spot before heading out, especially after 6 p.m.
Liquor stores
The Beer Store: A handful of locations will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.:
- 515 Somerset St. W.
- 548 Montreal Rd.
- 1984 Baseline Rd.
- 2276 Tenth Line Rd., Unit B1 (Orleans)
- 499 Terry Fox Dr., Unit #5 (Kanata)
All other TBS locations in Ottawa will be closed.
LCBO: Around half of the locations in Ottawa will be open, many of which will have reduced hours:
- Rideau & Colonel By (Rideau Centre) — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Rideau & King Edward — 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Metcalfe & Isabella — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Montreal & Vanier Parkway — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Bank & Riverside (Billings Bridge) — 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Richmond & Kirkwood — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Industrial & St. Laurent (Trainyards) — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Bank & Walkley — 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Blair & Ogilvie (Gloucester Centre) — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Carling & Woodroffe — 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Woodroffe & Baseline (College Square) — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Hunt Club & Merivale — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Orleans & Jeanne d'Arc (Orleans) — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Innes & Tenth Line (Orleans) — 10 a.m to 8 p.m.
- Strandherd & Greenbank (Barrhaven) — 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Strandherd & Maravista (Barrhaven) — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Hazeldean & Castlefrank (Kanata) — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Terry Fox & Campeau (Kanata) — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Hazeldean & Main (Stittsville) — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
All other LCBO locations in Ottawa will be closed.
Shopping malls
Most major malls in Ottawa will be open with reduced hours:
- Rideau Centre — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Bayshore Shopping Centre — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- St. Laurent Centre — 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Carlingwood Shopping Centre — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Place d'Orleans — 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Tanger Outlets — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Services
City of Ottawa services:
- 3-1-1 will be open for urgent matters only.
- Curbside trash collection is cancelled on Colonel By Day. Monday's pickup will be pushed to Tuesday, and collection will be delayed for everyone by one day for the rest of next week.
- Most other City services — including ServiceOttawa offices and phone lines, Provincial Offences counters, public health clinics, Employment and Social Services offices, municipal child care centres, public libraries and City-run archives, galleries and museums — will be closed on Monday.
OC Transpo:
- Buses will run on a Saturday schedule, with a few exceptions like Route 13, which will run a normal weekday schedule.
- O-Train Line 1 will operate a reduced weekday schedule from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Lines 2 and 4 will run a normal weekday schedule from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m.
- Rural Shopper Route 301 will run.
- Regular or recurring ParaTranspo trips on Monday will be automatically cancelled, but customers can use the My Para Transpo app or reservation phone line (between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.) to book a trip.
- The Rideau Centre customer service centre will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the St. Laurent lost and found will be closed.
Canada Post: There will be no collection or delivery of mail happening on Monday, and corporate (standalone) post offices will be closed. However, post offices operated by private businesses may be open if their host businesses are.
Banks: All banks will be closed.
Service Canada: All offices will be closed on Monday.
ServiceOntario: All locations will be closed. However, some ServiceOntario services have moved online, so you can still renew your driver's license, licence plate, health card and more.
Things to do
Cinemas: Most movie theatres in Ottawa — including Cineplex, Landmark Cinemas, Ciné-Starz, the Mayfair Theatre and the Bytowne Cinema — will be open.
Museums: All national museums and galleries — like the National Gallery of Canada, Museum of Nature, Canada Science and Technology Museum and more — will be open for their regular hours on Monday. The Bytown Museum will also be open, with free admission and special programming for the holiday. Rideau Hall is also hosting a free Doors Open event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Have a tip about a store or event that's open on holidays in Ottawa? We want to hear about it! Send an email to avery.friedlander@narcity.com.
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