What's open and closed this Easter weekend in Ottawa

CBC
·3 min read
Shoppers take a break at Rideau Centre mall in Ottawa in December. The mall is closed Friday and Sunday. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press - image credit)
Shoppers take a break at Rideau Centre mall in Ottawa in December. The mall is closed Friday and Sunday. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press - image credit)

Here's a look at what's open and closed in Ottawa this Easter long weekend.

Good Friday, March 29

Shops

  • Bayshore, Place d'Orléans, Rideau Centre, St. Laurent and Tanger Outlets malls are closed.

  • LCBO and Beer Store locations are closed.

City services

  • Curbside waste collection and most multi-unit waste collection moves to Saturday. An exception is multi-unit garbage pickup is happening.

  • All Ottawa Public Library branches and services are closed.

  • The city's 311 contact centre is open for urgent matters.

  • The Trail Road Waste Facility is open fewer hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • City child-care centres and dental clinics are closed.

  • The Sexual Health Clinic and satellite clinics are closed.

  • The Site program at 179 Clarence St., is closed, but the van operates as normal from 5 to 11:30 p.m.

Parking and transit 

  • All City of Ottawa parking regulations and restrictions apply.

  • OC Transpo runs on a Sunday schedule.

  • The on-demand pilot project in Blackburn Hamlet is running.

  • OC Transpo's Rideau Centre customer service is closed.

An electric OC Transpo bus on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa on March 21, 2024.
An electric OC Transpo bus on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa on March 21, 2024.

An OC Transpo bus stops to pick up passengers on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa on March 21. Transit schedules will be reduced Friday and Monday, and regular Para Transpo bookings are automatically cancelled. (Andrew Foote/CBC)

Recreation

  • The Ottawa Art Gallery is open.

  • The National Gallery of Canada and the agriculture, aviation, history, nature, science and war museums are open.

Easter Sunday, March 31

Shops

  • Bayshore, Place d'Orléans, Rideau Centre, St. Laurent and Tanger Outlets malls are closed.

  • Beer Stores and LCBOs are closed.

City services 

  • All Ottawa Public Library branches and services are closed.

People enjoy Easter Monday as they visit the National Gallery of Canada in downtown Ottawa April 18, 2022.
People enjoy Easter Monday as they visit the National Gallery of Canada in downtown Ottawa April 18, 2022.

People visit the National Gallery of Canada on Easter weekend 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Parking and transit

  • Normal city parking regulations and restrictions are in place.

  • OC Transpo is on a normal Sunday schedule.

  • The on-demand pilot project in Blackburn Hamlet is running.

  • OC Transpo's Rideau Centre customer service is closed.

  • Regularly scheduled Para Transpo trips on Sunday are not automatically cancelled. Customers are reminded to suspend regular bookings if they do not need their trip.

Recreation

  • The Ottawa Art Gallery and Shenkman Arts Centre are open.

  • The national gallery and agriculture, aviation, history, nature, science and war museums are open.

Easter Monday, April 1

Shops

  • Bayshore, Place d'Orléans, Rideau Centre, St. Laurent and Tanger Outlets malls are open.

  • Most grocery stores are open.

  • Beer Stores are open, as are select LCBOs.

Hull in Gatineau, Que., with the Canadian Museum of History next to the Ottawa River, in April 2023. This photo was taken using a drone.
Hull in Gatineau, Que., with the Canadian Museum of History next to the Ottawa River, in April 2023. This photo was taken using a drone.

A view from the Hull sector of Gatineau, Que., with the Canadian Museum of History next to the Ottawa River. This photo was taken in April 2023 using a drone. (Michel Aspirot/CBC)

City services

  • Curbside waste collection and most multi-unit waste collection moves to Tuesday, moving all curbside collection back a day. An exception is multi-unit garbage pickup is happening its regular day.

  • There are no city services at City Hall, Ben Franklin Place, 580 Terry Fox Dr., 255 Centrum Blvd., or the provincial court at 100 Constellation Dr.

  • All Ottawa Public Library branches and services are closed.

  • The city's 311 contact centre is open for urgent matters.

  • The Trail Road Waste Facility is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • City child-care centres and dental clinics are closed.

  • The Sexual Health Clinic and satellite clinics are closed.

  • The Site program at 179 Clarence St., is closed, but the van operates as normal from 5 to 11:30 p.m.

Parking and transit 

  • All City of Ottawa parking regulations and restrictions apply.

Recreation

  • The Ottawa Art Gallery and Shenkman Arts Centre are closed

  • The national gallery and agriculture, aviation, history, nature, science and war museums are open.