Remembrance Day – Open & Closed & Schedule Changes
Most retail businesses are required to close until 12:30 p.m. on November 11th each year to honour Canadian Veterans and those currently serving in the military. For 24 hour businesses, they’re required to close from 8:00am until 12:30pm.
Remembrance Day is not a statutory holiday in Ontario, but it is a Federal holiday. Federal government offices and City Hall will be closed on November 11. Schools remain open.
OC Transpo will operate a regular weekday schedule on November 11. War veterans who wear their medals or uniforms may ride OC Transpo, Para Transpo and Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO) for free during National Veterans’ Week – November 5 to 11. Call 613-560-1000 or text 560560 plus your four-digit bus stop number for automated schedule information. For more information, holiday schedules and travel planning, phone 613-741-4390 or visit octranspo.com.
STO will also operate a regular schedule on November 11. Riders are invited to consult the User’s Guide, visit Plani-Bus on the STO web site at www.sto.ca or call 819-770-3242 for more details. The INFOBUS system also provides the exact time that the next two buses are scheduled to arrive at a particular stop by dialling 819-778 plus the bus stop number.
On November 11, buses will pull over to the side of the road (where it is safe to do so) to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. The Last Post and Reveille will be played over the radios of OC Transpo buses. OC Transpo operators may also wear red on November 11 in support of Canadian Forces troops.
All ServiceOntario locations open at 12:30pm.
Banks are closed on November 11.
Libraries will be closed on November 11.
There is no change to garbage/recycling/compost pick-up for the week of November 11.
City recreation centres and pools will be open on November 11 with regular schedules. There are some exceptions, check with your facility.
The flags at all City of Ottawa will be lowered to half-mast from sunrise to sunset to honour the memory of all Canadians who have served their country in time of war.
Parking: On November 11, vehicles with a veteran’s licence plate will be allowed to park for free in the parking garage at City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West. Free parking will also be available for vehicles displaying veteran’s plates in the on-street paid areas around the National War Memorial, specifically on downtown streets bordered by and including Somerset Street to the south, Bank Street to the west, the Ottawa River to the north and the Rideau Canal to the east. All other on-street parking regulations continue to apply.