To commemorate Veterans’ Week, the Poppy Flag will be flown at City Hall and the following City facilities from Thursday, November 5 to Wednesday, November 11:
Nepean Client Service Centre
Orléans Client Service Centre
Mary Pitt Centre
Metcalfe Client Service Centre
West Carleton Client Service Centre
North Gower Client Service Centre
In addition, all flags at City facilities will be lowered to half-mast from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday, November 11 to commemorate Remembrance Day and honour all Canadians, past and present, who have served and sacrificed for our country.
National Remembrance Day Ceremony
The National Remembrance Day Ceremony↗ will take place at the National War Memorial on Wednesday, November 11, beginning at approximately 10:30 am. You can attend in person or watch the ceremony live on the Royal Canadian Legion’s Facebook page↗ and local and national news broadcasts.
As part of the ceremony, at approximately 11 am, there will be a 21-gun salute fired from the east side of Parliament Hill, near the Rideau Canal.
Canadian Armed Forces aircraft will conduct two fly-pasts over the National War Memorial and the National Military Cemetery of the Canadian Armed Forces. Both fly-pasts will follow the same route. The first fly-past, at approximately 11:05 am, will be conducted by four CF-18 Hornets. The second fly-past, at approximately 11:30 am, will be conducted by a Black Hawk helicopter, which may fly as low as 300 feet above the ground.
Royal Canadian Legion branches also host Remembrance Day ceremonies in communities across Ottawa. Visit the Royal Canadian Legion’s website↗ for more information on events happening in your area.
Traffic impacts on Remembrance Day
If you plan on attending the National Remembrance Day Ceremony, or will be in the downtown core, be sure to plan ahead. The following streets will be closed from 7 am to 2 pm on Wednesday, November 11 due to the ceremony:
Queen Elizabeth Driveway, between Somerset Street and Laurier Avenue West
Elgin Street, from Laurier Avenue to Wellington Street
Wellington Street, from Bank Street to Rideau Street/Sussex Avenue
Daly Avenue, between Colonel By Drive and Nicholas Street
Nicholas Street, between Daly Avenue and Laurier Avenue
OC Transpo routes 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19 and 20 will be detoured between 6:30 am and 1:30 pm due to road closures on Rideau and Elgin streets.
Consider using transit to get to the ceremony. During National Veterans’ Week, November 5 to November 11, Veterans wearing their medals or uniforms or presenting ID can ride for free on OC Transpo buses, all O-Train lines, Para Transpo vehicles and Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) buses. Companions accompanying veterans can also ride for free.
Visit OC Transpo's website↗ for more information.
Indigenous Veterans Day
On Sunday, November 8, we also encourage you to take a moment to honour Indigenous Veterans Day. The flags at all City facilities will be lowered to half-mast from sunrise to sunset on this day to honour the important contributions made by more than 12,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis Veterans in service to Canada.