What city services are open and closed over the holidays in Ottawa

The City of Ottawa has some schedule changes in the pipeline set to take effect during the holidays.

There will be no curbside collection, multi-green bin, recycling, garbage and bulky item collection on Christmas or New Year’s Day. Pick-ups will still happen the following day but collection will be delayed by a day for the rest of the week.

Christmas trees are still being picked up during normal collection days, though won’t be picked up if they still have decorations, are in plastic bags or frozen in a snowbank.

City Hall, Ben Franklin Place, Kanata, Orleans and the City’s Provincial Offenses Court will all be closed on Christmas, Boxing and New Year’s Day. So will all municipal child care services and the Ottawa Public Library.

All branches will close early at 3 p.m. on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

The city’s client service centre locations will be closed from December 18 until January 5, during which time the 3-1-1 client service centres will only be open for urgent matters.

If you need to spay or neuter your pet, now is the time to do it. The City of Ottawa Spay and Neuter clinic will be closed from December 22 until January 1.

Free parking and transit changes during the holidays

Free parking will be available at City Hall from Christmas Eve at 4 p.m. until Boxing Day at 7 a.m. then from New Year’s Eve at 4 p.m. until the next morning at 7 a.m.

The ByWard Market Garage and the Dalhousie Garage will keep their gates open during those times. If a vehicle is still in the garage when the gate goes back down, drivers are responsible to pay for the full time spent in the garage.

Buses will be running on holiday schedules starting Christmas Day until January 5. You can visit their website to see all the changes for routes and O-Train Line 1 over the holidays.

Ride free on New Year’s Eve starting at 6 p.m. thanks to Safer Roads Ottawa and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The O-Train Line 1 will also run until 2 a.m. then night bus services will run downtown.

Para Transpo will run during the holidays but regular scheduled trips on Christmas, Boxing and New Year’s Days will be automatically cancelled. Customers can book trips on these days by calling up to seven days in advance.

Other programs and services

• Pools, arenas and fitness centres will be on modified schedules during the holiday season. Winter Break drop-in schedules can be found on the city’s website.
• The City’s four refrigerated outdoor rinks are open, weather permitting.
• Community outdoor rinks will open after the weather is better for ice-making.
• The Box Office at Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe will be closed from Christmas Eve to January 14.
• The Ottawa Public Health site program office and supervised consumption services at 179 Clarence Street will be closed on Christmas, Boxing and New Year’s Day.
• The Sexual Health Clinic and satellite clinics, Ottawa Public Health Contact Centre, dental clinics and Parenting-In-Ottawa drop-ins will also be closed on Christmas, Boxing and New Year’s Day.

For more information on City programs and services, and a full list of closures, you can visit the city’s website.