Remembrance Day in Ottawa: what's open, what's closed and how to pay your respects
The national ceremony at the National War Memorial starts around 10:30 a.m. Road closures run 7 a.m. To 2 p.m., and OC Transpo detours are in effect.
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Road closures around the National War Memorial run from 7 a.m. To 2 p.m. On Wednesday, November 11, and OC Transpo routes 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19 and 20 are detoured between 6:30 a.m. And 1:30 p.m. Queen Elizabeth Driveway is closed between Somerset Street and Laurier Avenue West. Elgin Street is closed from Laurier Avenue to Wellington Street. Wellington Street is closed from Bank Street to Rideau Street/Sussex Avenue. Daly Avenue is closed between Colonel By Drive and Nicholas Street, and Nicholas Street between Daly Avenue and Laurier Avenue.
The National Remembrance Day Ceremony at the National War Memorial starts around 10:30 a.m. With the veterans' march and is scheduled to end at 11:30 a.m. With a veterans' march-off. A 21-gun salute is fired from the east side of Parliament Hill at about 11 a.m. Four CF-18 Hornets fly past around 11:05 a.m., and a Black Hawk helicopter follows at about 11:30 a.m.
Where it is safe, OC Transpo pauses for two minutes of silence at 11:11 a.m., with buses pulling over and trains held at stations. Para Transpo keeps regular service.
Beechwood Cemetery, home to the National Military Cemetery of Canada, holds its own Remembrance Day ceremony from 10:30 a.m., and military aircraft fly over the cemetery as part of the flypast route. Royal Canadian Legion branches are holding ceremonies across the city, and the city points residents to the Legion's website for the smaller local services.
Most retail businesses must close from 8 a.m. To 12:30 p.m. Under a City of Ottawa bylaw. The bylaw covers fixed, enclosed premises only. Hotels and motels, restaurants, recreational facilities and fitness centres, medical and dental offices, funeral homes, hair salons and spas, pet groomers, vehicle repair shops, dry cleaners, realtors and vendors at outdoor markets are exempt, though any of them can still choose to close.
For city services, 311 is open for urgent matters only, and client service centres are closed. Garbage, green bin and recycling collection runs as usual. Community, recreation and cultural facilities are open. City-run museums, galleries and the Shenkman Arts Centre are closed, as are the sexual health clinic, dental clinics and satellite clinics. Employment and social services, municipal childcare centres and all Ottawa Public Library branches are closed. The Site mobile van runs from 5 p.m. To 11:30 p.m.
