For people trying to sort out lundi de paques ouvert ou ferme, the long Easter weekend brings a mixed schedule across Ottawa and Gatineau. The key question on Monday, April 6 ET, is simple: which places are open, which are closed, and which have reduced hours?
In Quebec, Monday of Easter is a holiday, and the schedule is not uniform. Most stores remain open, but several services change, and travelers are being told to plan ahead before leaving home.
Monday’s holiday schedule changes service across both cities
On the Ottawa side, most grocery stores are closed on Friday and Sunday, with only some smaller-format shops able to open. Beer Store locations and LCBO branches are closed Friday and Sunday, while some of those outlets are open Monday. Shopping centres including Rideau Centre, Bayshore, Saint-Laurent Shopping Centre, Place d’Orléans, and Tanger Outlets are closed Friday and at Easter, but open Monday.
In Gatineau, SAQ branches follow their usual schedule on Friday. SAQ Express branches are open Sunday, and some other SAQ locations also open Sunday. The SAQ sites not located inside a closed shopping centre are open Monday. SQDC branches do not close until Sunday.
Several museums and public venues shift as well. National museums such as the Canadian War Museum, the Canadian Museum of History, and the National Gallery of Canada are open Friday and Sunday, but closed Monday. Municipal museums, the Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe, the Shenkman Arts Centre, and Ottawa Public Library branches are closed Friday and Monday. In Gatineau, Galerie Montcalm and L’Espace Pierre-Debain are closed from April 3 through April 6 inclusive, while Gatineau municipal libraries are closed from Saturday through Monday inclusive.
Lundi de Paques ouvert ou ferme for transit, collection, and parking
Transit schedules are also altered. OC Transpo buses and light rail run on Sunday service Friday. On Monday, only O-Train Lines 2 and 4 run on their regular weekday schedule, while Line 1 and buses follow the reduced weekday timetable. Both OC Transpo and the STO are urging riders to plan trips before heading out.
Waste collection changes in Ottawa affect green bin, recycling, garbage, and bulky-item pickups scheduled for Good Friday or Monday of Easter, which are pushed to Saturday and Tuesday. Other collections in the week are also delayed by one day, and the regular collection schedule resumes the week of April 13. The Trail Road landfill is open Friday, April 3, and Monday, April 6, from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. ET.
In Gatineau, all collections remain in place. The transfer centre is open Friday, April 3, and Monday, April 6, but closed Saturday and at Easter. The Aéroparc ecocentre is closed Sunday and Monday, while the boulevard de la Carrière ecocentre is closed Sunday only. Ottawa parking rules remain in force, while street parking in Gatineau is free on public holidays, including Friday, April 3, and Monday, April 6.
What to expect if you are going out on Monday
One clear theme runs through the holiday weekend: availability changes by location, by city, and by type of service. That is why lundi de paques ouvert ou ferme remains a practical question rather than a simple yes-or-no answer.
The safest move is to check before leaving, especially for stores, transit, and public attractions. With some sites open, some closed, and others on reduced hours, lundi de paques ouvert ou ferme will depend on where you are going and which side of the river you are on.
What happens next
By Tuesday, regular routines begin to return for many services, while delayed Ottawa collections continue into the following week. For anyone still making holiday plans, lundi de paques ouvert ou ferme is the guide that matters most before stepping out on Monday, April 6 ET.
