Schedule changes for holiday season

The City of Ottawa reminds residents of the following schedule changes for the holiday season, between Saturday, Dec. 24 and Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Client Service Centres

• The City’s 3-1-1 Contact Centre will be open for urgent matters only. Please visit ottawa.ca/311 for more information.
• The Client Services Centres at Ottawa City Hall, Ben Franklin Place, 580 Terry Fox Drive, 255 Centrum Boulevard and the City’s Provincial Offences Court at 100 Constellation Drive will be closed on Monday, Dec. 26, Tuesday, Dec. 27 and Monday, Jan. 2.
• The Business Licensing Centre at 735 Industrial Avenue will be closed.

Green bin, recycling and garbage collection

• Curbside and multi-residential green bin, recycling, garbage and bulky item collection will take place as per the regular schedule. Collection will not be delayed due to Christmas or New Year’s Day.
• The Trail Waste Facility will be closed on Sunday, Dec. 25 and Sunday, Jan. 1.
• Christmas trees will be picked up on your regular collection day. Please remove all decorations. Christmas trees in plastic bags or frozen into a snowbank will not be collected.

Parking

• Free parking will be available at City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, from Saturday, Dec. 24 at 4 p.m. until Monday, Dec. 26 at 7 a.m., and from Saturday, Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. until Monday, Jan. 2 at 7 a.m.
• The ByWard Market Garage at 70 Clarence Street and the Dalhousie Garage at 141 Clarence Street will offer free parking from Saturday, Dec. 24 at 4 p.m. until Monday, Dec. 26 at 7 a.m., and from Saturday, Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. until Monday, Jan. 2 at 7 a.m.
• At these facilities, exit gates will be placed in the ‘up’ position during these time periods to allow for free exits.
• All other City parking regulations and restrictions apply.

Transit Services

• OC Transpo holiday service will run from Sunday, Dec. 25 to Friday, Jan. 6. Shopper routes will operate on a normal schedule throughout the holiday period. Visit octranspo.com for information on hours of operation, frequency adjustments and schedules for bus routes and O-Train Line 1 during the holidays.
• From Saturday, Dec. 24 until Friday, Jan. 6, the whole family can ride all day on a Family DayPass for only $11.25. A family can be made up of as many as six people, with a maximum of two aged 13 and older.
• Customers can get real-time schedule information, 24 hours a day, by calling 613-560-1000 or texting 560560 plus their four-digit bus stop number or first three letters of the station name.

OC Transpo Customer Service (613-560-5000) will be open throughout the holidays to help customers with schedules and trip planning, including:

• Saturday, Dec. 24 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Sunday, Dec. 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday, Dec. 26 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 31 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Sunday, Jan. 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Rideau Centre OC Transpo Customer Service Centre will be closed on Sunday, Dec. 25 and Sunday, Jan 1. It will be open:

• Saturday, Dec. 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday, Dec. 26 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m
• All other OC Transpo Customer Service Centres currently remain closed.

Para Transpo operations:

• Para Transpo will operate during regular hours throughout the holidays except for Saturday, Dec. 24, during which services will be extended to 3 a.m. (with the last trips booked for 2:30 am for urban trips, 2 a.m. for rural trips).
• Regular scheduled trips are automatically cancelled, but customers may book trips for these days by calling 613-560-5000, or by using My Para Transpo, up to seven days prior to the holiday.
• Customers are reminded to suspend their regular booking if they will be on vacation during the holiday season.
• Para Transpo phone reservation and information / cancellation lines will be available over the holidays during regular hours, except for Saturday, Dec.24, when the information / cancellation line will be available until 3 a.m. 
• Para Transpo customers can also text 57272 to live text with customer service representatives from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., or until 3 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24.
• The taxi coupon line will be closed Sunday, Dec. 25, Monday, Dec. 26 and Sunday, Jan. 1.  To contact Para Transpo regarding holiday scheduling, visit octranspo.com or call 613-560-5000.

There no-charge transit service on Saturday, Dec. 31. In partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Ottawa and the City’s Safer Roads Ottawa Program, OC Transpo is offering no-charge service on buses, the O-Train and Para Transpo on Saturday, Dec. 31 from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. Use the Travel Planner to plan your New Year’s Eve trip.

OC Transpo will operate a Saturday schedule on Saturday, Dec. 31, with additional service on busy routes. O-Train Line 1 will run until 2 a.m., after which night bus service will run through downtown. Line 2 buses will run until 1 a.m. Fare gates will be open, and OC Transpo will have staff at some stations to help customers.

Para Transpo will run until 3 am, with last trips booked at 2:30 a.m. for urban trips or 2 a.m. for rural trips.

OC Transpo lost and found will close at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23 and Friday, Dec. 30, at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28 and Thursday, Dec. 29, and will be closed all day on Monday, Dec. 26, Tuesday, Dec. 27 and Monday, Jan. 2.

For more information on holiday service, visit octranspo.com or call 613-560-5000. You can also connect with OC Transpo through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Recreation and cultural services

Pools, arenas and fitness centres will operate on modified schedules during the holiday season, including public swimming, fitness and public skating facilities. Please check ottawa.ca for schedules.

 Some holiday-themed registered programs will be offered at community centres and arenas. Browse register.ottawa.ca or check with your facility to register.

Holiday schedules for refrigerated outdoor rinks, including the Rink of Dreams, Lansdowne Park skating court, Ben Franklin Place skating rink and Jim Tubman Chevrolet Rink can be found at ottawa.ca/skating. Check the alert status on the homepage of ottawa.ca to confirm that the rink is open.

Community outdoor rinks will open by Thursday, Dec. 29, weather permitting.

Shenkman Arts Centre will be closed Saturday, Dec. 24 to Tuesday Dec. 27, and Sunday, Jan. 1 to Tuesday, Jan. 3.

The box office at Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe will be closed Saturday, Dec. 24 to Monday, Jan. 9.

Archives Branch (James Bartleman Centre and the Rideau Archives) will be closed from Saturday, Dec. 17 to Monday, Jan. 2.

Ottawa Public Health

• All Ottawa Public Health vaccination clinics will be closed on Sunday, Dec. 25 and Monday, Dec. 26. Visit the COVID-19 Vaccine page for other vaccination clinic hours and availability.
• Visit the COVID-19 Testing page for testing centre and care clinic hours and availability.
• The Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 Vaccine Booking Line will be closed will be closed Monday, Dec. 26, Tuesday, Dec. 27 and Monday, January 2.
• The Sexual Health Clinic and satellite clinics will be closed Monday, Dec. 26, Tuesday Dec. 27 and Monday, Jan. 2.
• The Site program office and supervised consumption services at 179 Clarence Street will be closed Monday, Dec. 26, Tuesday, Dec. 27 and Monday, Jan. 2. The Site mobile van will be closed Saturday, Dec. 24 but will otherwise operate as usual from 5 to 11:30 p.m.
• The Ottawa Public Health Information Centre will be closed Monday, Dec. 26, Tuesday, Dec. 27 and Monday, Jan. 2.
• Dental clinics will be closed Monday, Dec. 26, Tuesday, Dec. 27 and Monday, Jan. 2. Parenting-In-Ottawa drop-ins will be closed from Sunday, Dec. 25 to Wednesday, Dec. 28 and on Sunday, Jan. 1 and Monday, Jan. 2. Check the Parenting-in-Ottawa drop-ins calendar for clinic hours and availability.

Municipal child-care services

• All Municipal child-care centres will be closed on Monday, Dec. 26, Tuesday, Dec. 27 and Monday, Jan. 2.
• Parents are advised to check their child care centre operating hours during the holiday season.

Library services

• The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) will be closed on Sunday, Dec. 25, Monday, Dec. 26 and Sunday, Jan. 1.
• Branches and services will operate on a regular schedule from Tuesday, Dec. 27 through Friday, Dec. 30.
• On Saturday, Dec. 24, and Saturday, Dec. 31, all branches normally open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday will open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Visit the OPL website for hours of operation at OPL’s 33 branches further information and to access library resources and services online.