The Thanksgiving Day long weekend is upon us and that means not everything will be open on Monday.
Ontario is still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a number of Hamilton and Niagara family/group attractions that will be open require proof of vaccination, face coverings and have physical distancing rules.
Canada Post locations will be closed and mail collection and delivery is cancelled for Monday.
If you’re hoping to knock off some errands or just get out and do something, here’s a list of what’s open and what’s closed in Hamilton, Burlington and Niagara Region on Oct. 11.
Hamilton
Government offices such as city hall, banks, municipal offices, facilities and most businesses will be closed on Monday.
Green bin, garbage and recycling: No collection on Monday. Pickup will be one day later if it falls on or after the holiday. The city says all materials must be at the curb by 7 a.m.
HSR Bus: Transit will be operating on a Sunday/holiday schedule on Monday. Many routes will be operating with reduced frequencies while some routes will not be operating at all. Face coverings are required on the HSR.
ATS-DARTS: Service will be operating with holiday service hours on Thanksgiving Day. Subscription trips on DARTS, with the exception of dialysis, are cancelled for Monday. ATS customer service will also be closed on Monday.
Recycling centres: Closed on Monday.
Administrative offices: Closed on Monday.
Recreation centres: All recreation centres and arenas will be closed Monday
Hamilton civic museums: Closed on Monday.
Tourism Hamilton visitor information centre: Closed Monday.
Hamilton Public Library: Closed Sunday and Monday.
Social services: All Ontario Works offices, career development centres, special supports and the Housing Services office will be closed on Monday.
Senior centres: Closed on Monday.
Arenas: Closed to public programming on Monday.
Animal services: Closed Sunday and Monday.
Burlington
Government offices such as city hall, banks, municipal offices, facilities and most businesses will be closed on Monday.
Administrative services, including the Office of Roads and Parks Maintenance, will be closed on Monday, though emergency services for maintenance will still be provided.
Roads, Parks and Forestry and Animal Shelter and Control will be closed Monday, but emergency services will be provided.
Halton Court Services will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, as well as Provincial Offences Court.
Free parking is available on the street in the downtown core, in municipal lots and at the parking garage. The Waterfront parking lots (east and west) do not provide free parking on statutory holidays.
Burlington Transit will be operating a holiday service schedule on Monday, while the service’s administrative offices, including the downtown transit terminal and Handi-Van dispatch, will be closed. Schedules and specialized booking are available at burlingtontransit.ca
The animal shelter on Industrial Street remains closed to the public due to COVID-19.
Niagara Region
Government offices such as city hall, banks, municipal offices, facilities and most businesses will be closed on Monday.
Community centres, all older adult centres and arenas will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, including Enterprise Centre, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and Meridian Centre.
The Parks, Recreation and Culture Services administration offices are closed.
The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre will be open all weekend, as well as Thanksgiving Day Monday. There are intermittent closures for cleaning. Masks and screenings are required.
The Lakeside Park Carousel will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. After Thanksgiving Day, hours will be reduced to weekends only from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Oct. 14.
Garden City Golf Course will be open for bookings only. The city-run golf course will be open from 7 a.m. to dusk all weekend, including Monday. However, enhanced health and safety processes are in place.
The Lakeside Park Carousel is open over the weekend, including Monday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Happy Rolph’s Animal Farm is open all weekend 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Port Weller Community Centre and Russell Avenue Community Centre are closed, although Russell Avenue remains open for washroom access only.
Playgrounds are open. However, parents should note that equipment isn’t sanitized. The city’s outdoor sports fields are closed for bookings.
Buses in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines will offer reduced holiday schedules and run on Sunday schedules.
Garbage and recycling collection schedules are unaffected by the holiday.
Shopping
Canada Post: Outlets are closed on Oct. 11. There will be no mail collection or delivery on the Civic Holiday.
Grocery stores: Major grocery stores like Fortinos, Metro, Fresh Co. and No Frills will be closed on Oct. 11 in Hamilton, St. Catharines, Burlington and Niagara Falls.
Shoppers Drug Mart: Many locations will be open Oct. 11 but not all. Hours can be seen on the Shoppers store locator map.
Malls: All major shopping centres in Hamilton, Burlington, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls will be closed.
- Eastgate Square: Closed
- Lime Ridge Mall: Closed
- The Centre on Barton: Most stores will be closed.
- The Pen Centre: Closed
- Fairview Mall: Closed
- Mapleview Centre: Closed
- Burlington Centre: Closed
- CF Toronto Eaton Centre: Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Toronto Premium Outlets in Halton Hills: Open from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Pacific Mall in Toronto: Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Outlet Collection at Niagara Falls: Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Walmart: Most Walmarts in the GTHA will be closed but the Niagara Falls Supercentre on Oakwood Drive will be open on Oct. 11 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Alcohol
The Beer Store: 71 stores across Ontario will be open and operating hours at most will be 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are some exceptions where stores will shut down at 5 p.m.
Here are the locations that will be open in the Hamilton area:
- Brantford: 280 Murray Street
- Burlington: 396 Elizabeth Street
- Hamilton: 282 Parkdale Ave. N., 1111 Barton St. E., 959 Fennell Ave. E., 75 Centennial Pkwy N., 150 Barton St. E. and 1408 Upper James St.
LCBO: Stores will be closed.
Tourist destinations
- Toronto Zoo – outdoor and indoor areas are open with COVID measures. Reservations are required and can be booked online. No tickets are sold on-site.
- The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Mount Hope will be open on Thanksgiving Day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with limited capacity and COVID-19 safety measures.
- Toronto tourist destinations such as the Hockey Hall of Fame, Ripley’s Aquarium and the CN Tower are open with limited capacity and COVID-19 safety measures.
- Most Niagara Falls attractions will be running on the holiday Monday, including the Whirlpool Aero Car, Journey Behind the Falls, Botanical Gardens, Butterfly Conservatory and all the nature and garden parks and centres. However, some heritage sites like the McKenzie Printery and McFarland House will be closed. Also some dining spots like the Whirlpool Restaurant and Legends On The Niagara will be closed.
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