The City advises residents traffic and service impacts will continue over the weekend. The downtown core will continue to experience most of the traffic impacts. The number of protesters and vehicles is expected to increase. Residents are advised to avoid non-essential travel in the area.
Traffic impacts remain fluid – stay informed
Demonstrators may mobilize their efforts outside the downtown core. As a result, additional roadways across the city may experience traffic delays and disruptions, with details changing on short notice. Residents can continue to check our online traffic map and the City of Ottawa’s traffic Twitter account for up-to-date information on traffic delays and disruptions due to the demonstrations.
Here is latest information on downtown City services and facilities – including closures, delays and cancellations:
Ottawa Public Library branches
The Ottawa Public Library’s Main and Rideau branches will remain closed.
City Hall
Ottawa City Hall and its amenities will remain closed for public access.
These amenities include:
- Rink of Dreams
- Underground municipal parking lot
Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 vaccination clinics
Ottawa Public Health’s (OPH) Lowertown Vaccine Hub, located at the Jules Morin Fieldhouse on 400 Clarence Street East, will be open on Saturday.
The vaccination clinic at the University of Ottawa Minto Sports Complex will remain closed until Tuesday, February 15.
Those who had appointments at the impacted locations can take advantage of available drop-in offerings at other community clinics or rebook their appointment. Visit Ottawa Public Health’s Vaccine Page for more vaccination clinic information.
Delayed resumption of the City Hall Client Service Centre
The City has delayed resumption of its appointments for in-person counter service at its City Hall location until further notice. The Client Service Centre at Ben Franklin Place – 101 Centrepoint Drive – will be open for in-person services by appointment only – for both Service Ottawa and Building Code Services.
Appointments for the Ben Franklin Place Client Service can be made through the online booking tool on ottawa.ca. People without internet access can reserve at time by calling 3-1-1 and choose option #6.
Visit ottawa.ca for the list of in-person service offerings. Residents can still take advantage of the convenience of accessing services on online. Building Code Services will continue to support application submissions by mail and electronically at buildingpermits@ottawa.ca.
Impacts on OC Transpo
All bus routes with service downtown are expected to remain on detour, until service can be reliably returned to downtown streets. Residents who need to travel in and out of the downtown core should use O-Train Line 1. Currently, Rideau Station can only be accessed through the William Street entrance.
Stay up to date on the latest transit information by visiting octranspo.com/alerts, calling 613-560-5000 or following OC Transpo’s Twitter account. Para Transpo customers can call OC Transpo and a staff member will help book a trip.
Snow clearing
With the demonstration situation remaining very fluid, the City has contingencies in place for any accumulating snow. The City intends to keep focus on pedestrian and emergency access routes through the area, clearing and treating sidewalks and facilitating the safe movement of emergency vehicles, where possible. Due to the demonstration, however, the City has encountered operational constraints which have made accessing the areas in close proximity to the Parliamentary precinct difficult.”
We do not anticipate impacts to snow clearing operations in other parts of the city.
Waste and recycling collection
At this time, the City is not anticipating an impact to residential waste collection as a result of the demonstration. Residents can stay informed of curbside collection delays by signing up to receive notifications through the Ottawa Collection Calendar app; download the mobile app or register for email updates by entering your address and clicking on “Get a reminder!”.
Street-side receptacles and litter are being addressed where access permits.