Remembrance Day is observed across Canada at 11 a.m. to honour the men and women who served and died in the line of duty. The date marks the end of First World War hostilities "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" in 1918.
While Remembrance Day isn't a statutory holiday in Ontario, it's still observed as a federal holiday. That means most people will be working a regular day, but certain services and businesses will still be disrupted.
To make things more complicated, the City of Ottawa has a few of its own rules. A city by-law requires most retail stores to stay closed until the afternoon, and road closures for the National Remembrance Day Ceremony downtown add another layer of disruption to plan around.
Whether you're planning to attend a ceremony or just hoping to run errands or access services, here's everything you need to know about what's open and closed in Ottawa for Remembrance Day — including banks, grocery stores, liquor, retail and city services like OC Transpo and more.
Grocery, retail & restaurants
The City of Ottawa's Remembrance Day by-law requires that most retail businesses remain closed until 12:30 p.m. on November 11. However, there are some exceptions.
CLOSED until 12:30 p.m.:
- Costco
- Loblaws, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore & Your Independent Grocer
- Metro & Food Basics
- Sobeys, FreshCo & Foodland
- Farm Boy
- Produce Depot
- T&T Supermarket
- Walmart
- All other large supermarkets and big-box retailers in Ottawa
- Shopping malls (including the Rideau Centre)
- Most retail stores
- Travel agents, car dealerships and other non-essential services
It's important to note that the by-law also applies to "tourist" areas that are normally exempted from having to close on statutory holidays. That means stores that are usually open on holidays — like the Loblaws on Rideau Street or the Whole Foods at Lansdowne — will still need to remain closed until 12:30.
Any businesses that are normally open 24 hours (and don't qualify for an exemption) will need to close from at least 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
Most affected stores in Ottawa will open right away at 12:30 and remain open until their usual closing time without further disruption.
OPEN all morning:
The following businesses are exempt from the by-law and may be open before 12:30 p.m.:
- Small (under 2,400 sq. ft.) grocery, tobacco, antique, handicraft and book stores with three or fewer employees working at a time
- Small to medium (under 7,500 sq. ft.) pharmacies
- Vendors at outdoor markets (i.e., ByWard, Parkdale)
- Gas stations and convenience/corner stores
- Restaurants (sit-down, takeout, fast food)
- Nurseries, gardening supply stores and florists
- Repair shops (including for cars, computers, HVAC equipment, etc.)
In addition, most stores on the Quebec side will be open for their regular hours, as it's not a stat holiday there and Gatineau doesn't have an equivalent by-law. That includes Costco Gatineau (open at 9 a.m.) and other grocery stores and big-box retailers — including Walmart, Provigo & Maxi (Loblaws), Metro & Super C, IGA and more.
Liquor stores
LCBO: All Ottawa stores will open at 12:30 p.m. in accordance with the city by-law.
The Beer Store: All locations in Ottawa will open at 12:30 p.m.
SAQ: Liquor stores in Gatineau will be open for their usual hours, with the earliest ones opening at 10 a.m.
Roads & transit
Road closures:
The following streets downtown will be closed from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday for the National Remembrance Day Ceremony:
- Elgin Street, from Laurier to Wellington
- Wellington Street, from Rideau/Sussex to Bank
- Metcalfe Street, between Albert and Wellington
- Queen Street, between O’Connor and Wellington
- Queen Elizabeth Driveway, between Somerset and Laurier West
There will also be temporary rolling closures between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the area between Nicholas Street to the east, Laurier Avenue West to the south, Elgin Street to the west, and Wellington/Rideau streets to the north.
OC Transpo:
- Ottawa's public buses and trains will run a mostly normal Tuesday schedule, with a few detours due to road closures for Remembrance Day ceremonies:
- Routes 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19 and 20 will be partially detoured downtown due to road closures on Rideau and Elgin streets between 6:30 am and 1:30 pm.
- Additional detours on Routes 11, 39, 61, 84 and 163 will be required for road closures during community ceremonies across Ottawa. Detour information will be available on OC Transpo's alerts page.
- All OC Transpo service will pause at 11 a.m. to observe two minutes of silence. Buses will pull over to the side of the road and all trains will be held at station platforms.
- From November 5 to 11, veterans and their companions can ride for free on all OC Transpo buses, O-Train lines, Para Transpo vehicles and Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) buses.
- Para Transpo will operate as normal, and regular or recurring bookings won't be cancelled.
- OC Transpo's Customer Service Centre at the Rideau Centre will be open on from 12:30 to 9 p.m., but the Lost and Found at St-Laurent Station will be closed all day on Tuesday.
Services
City of Ottawa services:
- 3-1-1 will be open for urgent matters only.
- ServiceOttawa offices, Provincial Offences and Administrative Penalty System (APS) counters and phone lines will be closed.
- The Business Licensing Centre, Spay and Neuter Clinic and City of Ottawa Archives and Gallery will also be closed.
- Curbside trash collection will follow the normal schedule on Tuesday (and for the rest of the week).
- All community, recreation and cultural facilities are open, although the Meridian Theatre and City-run galleries will be closed. You can check the hours for your local facility here.
- Ottawa Public Health's mobile van will operate from 5 to 11:30 p.m. Other OPH services, including the Sexual Health Clinic, dental clinics, parenting drop-ins and immunization phone lines will be closed.
- Employment and Social Services offices, municipal child care centres and Ottawa Public Library branches will be closed.
Schools: All four of Ottawa's school boards will be open for a regular school day on Tuesday.
Canada Post: There will be no collection or delivery of mail happening on Tuesday, and corporate (standalone) post offices will be closed. However, post offices operated by private businesses may be open if their host businesses are — although they aren't likely to be open before 12:30 p.m.
Banks: All banks will be closed on Tuesday.
Service Canada: All Service Canada and Passport Services offices will be closed.
ServiceOntario: All locations will be closed. However, some ServiceOntario services have moved online, so you can still renew your driver's licence, health card and more.
Remembrance Day events
Canada's National Remembrance Day Ceremony will take place at the National War Memorial on Wellington Street, beginning at approximately 10:30 a.m. You can attend in person or watch the ceremony live on the Royal Canadian Legion's Facebook page or on local and national news broadcasts.
Canadian Armed Forces CF-18 Hornets and a Black Hawk helicopter will fly over the National War Memorial and the National Military Cemetery (Beechwood Cemetery) at 11:05 a.m.
The Royal Canadian Legion is also hosting lots of smaller Remembrance Day ceremonies across the city. You can find your nearest one on the Legion's website.
READ NEXT: Is Remembrance Day a stat holiday in Canada? Here's who gets November 11 off in 2025
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.
Fish tacos from CA·SU·AL at Pickering Casino Resort.
The Arena at Pickering Casino Resort. 
Unlock perks upon perks with your GC Rewards card.
Courtesy of Tina – The Tina Turner Musical (Nov 28-29, 2025)