What’s Closed & Open in all southern Ontario cities on Christmas Day
Published December 24, 2024 at 6:28 pm
This year, Christmas Day falls on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024 in Ontario.
Arguably the most significant holiday of the year in Canada, all non-essential government offices, most shops and many restaurants and recreational centres will be closed to observe the day.
- Full list of what’s open and closed in:
Here’s what’s open and closed on Christmas Day in Mississauga, Brampton, Toronto, Hamilton, Oakville, Milton, Burlington, Oshawa, Whitby, Pickering, Clarington, Niagara Falls and the Niagara Region:
Open:
On Dec. 25, some smaller grocery stores (such as Rabba Fine Foods) will be open, along with most gas stations and convenience stores, all essential services (police, fire, paramedics and hospitals), the Mississauga Chinese Centre, some cafes, restaurants and bars (always call ahead), most Shoppers Drug Mart locations, the Celebration Square ice rink and movie theatres.
Closed:
Most major malls will be closed, including Square One Shopping Centre, Erin Mills Town Centre, Dixie Outlet Mall and Heartland Town Centre. Most major grocery stores will also be closed, along with all non-essential federal, provincial, regional and municipal government offices, banks, libraries, community centres, LCBO and Beer Store locations and Canada Post (no mail pick-up or delivery).
There will be no garbage and recycling collection on Dec. 25 and Dec. 26 and Community Recycling Centres will be closed both days.
MiWay will operate on a regular Sunday service schedule, and GO Transit will run on a Saturday service schedule.
Open:
All critical services, such as police, fire, paramedic and traffic services, will be open as usual. Outdoor skating rinks such as the Chinguacousy Park Skating Recreational Trail and Gore Meadows covered outdoor skating rink will be open, as will some cafes, bars, and restaurants (but always call ahead to be sure). Residents can also visit some smaller grocery stores (such as Rabba Fine Foods locations), movie theatres, gas stations, and convenience stores. Some pharmacies and drug stores, such as Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall, will be open. Region of Peel emergency shelters will be open and anyone in need can contact the street helpline at 1-877-848-8481.
Closed:
Most major malls will be closed, including Bramalea City Centre and Shoppers World. Non-essential federal, provincial, regional and municipal offices will be closed, along with most major grocery stores (such as Loblaws and Metro), banks, community centres, libraries, LCBO and Beer Store locations, Canada Post (no mail pick-up or delivery), community recycling centres, the Brampton Animal Shelter and Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA).
Region of Peel non-emergency services will close starting Dec. 25 and will reopen on Jan. 2.
Brampton Transit will run on a reduced service schedule and GO Transit will run on a Saturday schedule. The TransHelp office will be closed and unable to process applications from Dec. 25 to Jan. 1.
There will be no waste collection on Dec. 25.
Halton – Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills
Open:
All critical services, including fire, paramedic and law enforcement, will be operational. Residents can also use mental health emergency phone lines and access some smaller grocery stores (such as Rabba Fine Foods locations) and some drug stores and pharmacies. Local parks and outdoor amenities will be open, as well as some Wine Rack locations (call ahead). Some cafes, restaurants and bars will be open (call ahead), as well as select gas stations and convenience stores. Movie theatres will be open and outdoor light festivals will run as usual.
Closed:
Most major shopping malls, including Toronto Premium Outlets, Oakville Place, Mapleview Centre, Burlington Centre and the Milton Mall, will be closed. Large grocery chain stores will be closed, along with banks, libraries, Beer Store and LCBO locations, the Oakville Museum, the Milton Sports Centre, the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, the Rotary Pond skating rink in Spencer Smith Park, community centres, all non-essential federal, provincial, regional and municipal offices, Canada Post (no mail pick-up or delivery) and Halton Waste Management drop-off sites.
There will be no waste collection on Christmas Day.
Oakville Transit will operate on a holiday schedule, Burlington Transit will operate on a Sunday/holiday schedule, Milton Transit will not be running and GO Transit will run on a Saturday schedule.
Durham – Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering, Clarington, Scugog, Brock and Uxbridge
Open:
On Christmas Day, most convenience stores, some drug stores and pharmacies (such as Shoppers Drug Mart) and select cafes, restaurants and bars will be open (but always call ahead to be sure). Local parks, such as Lakeview Park in Oshawa, Heydenshore Park in Whitby and Waterfront Park in Ajax, will be open, as will conservation areas and hiking and cycling trails all over Durham. The Ski Lakeridge will be open 10-7 for skiing, snowboarding and tubing. All essential services (fire, police, paramedics, etc) will be open.
Closed:
Most major malls will be closed, including Whitby Mall, Oshawa Centre, and Pickering Town Centre. Most major grocery stores will also be closed, along with banks, non-essential federal, provincial, regional and municipal offices, community centres, libraries, Canada Post (no mail pick-up or delivery), LCBO and Beer Store locations and most cannabis stores (call ahead).
GO Trains and buses will run on a Saturday schedule and DRT Pulse buses will be running on a holiday schedule.
There will be no waste collection on Christmas Day and transfer stations in Oshawa, Port Perry and Brock Township will be closed.
Open:
All critical services (police, fire, paramedics and hospitals) will operate as usual on Christmas Day. Residents can also visit most parks and trails, most convenience stores, some skating rinks, some cafes, restaurants and bars (always call ahead to be sure), some drug stores and pharmacies, Splitsville Entertainment and movie theatres.
Closed:
All non-essential federal, provincial and municipal offices will be closed, along with major shopping malls (including Limeridge Mall), Beer Store and LCBO locations, major grocery stores, the Hamilton Farmers’ Market, libraries, community centres, civic museums and the Gage Park greenhouse.
Waste will not be collected on Christmas Day.
HSR buses will operate on a special holiday schedule with limited service and GO Transit will run on a Saturday schedule.
Open:
Some smaller grocery stores, such as Rabba Fine Foods locations, will be open, along with most gas stations and convenience stores. Select Wine Rack locations will be open, along with some drug stores and pharmacies. Some cafes, restaurants and bars will be open for dine-in, takeout and delivery, especially in Niagara Falls, but call ahead to be sure. Movie theatres will be open and residents will also be able to check out many Niagara Falls family-oriented tourist attractions, including those on Clifton Hill.
The Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights will run as usual
Closed:
All LCBO and Beer Store locations, most major grocery stores, most 60-plus wineries and breweries, most Niagara Parks attractions (call ahead), all non-emergency federal, provincial, regional and municipal government offices, all major shopping malls (including the Outlet Collection in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada One in Niagara Falls, the Pen Centre and Fairview Mall in St. Catharines, and the Seaway Mall in Welland), banks, libraries, community centres, community recycling centres and arenas.
There will be no garbage collection on Christmas Day.
There will be no conventional bus service in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Welland and other regional routes on Christmas Day and GO Transit will run on a Saturday schedule.
Open:
In Canada’s biggest city, a few places will remain open. As usual, all essential and emergency services will be active (police, fire, paramedics, hospitals, etc). Residents can shop at select grocery stores (including Rabba Fine Foods, Eataly, Wine Rack and Summerhill Market). Pacific Mall will be open, as will some tourist destinations (such as Ripley’s Aquarium, the CN Tower and Riverdale Farm). Movie theatres and outdoor parks and trails will be open. Some cafes, restaurants and bars will be open, but always call ahead to be sure.
Closed:
All non-essential federal, provincial and municipal offices, Canada Post (no mail pick-up or delivery), banks, libraries and community centres will be closed. Most major malls will be closed, including the Eaton Centre, Yorkdale, Scarborough Town Centre and Sherway Gardens. Most major grocery stores (Longo’s, the St. Lawrence Market, Metro, Loblaws, etc) will be closed, along with all LCBO and Beer Store locations. Select tourist attractions, such as the ROM, AGO and Aga Khan Museum, will be closed.
The TTC will operate on Sunday service and GO Transit will run on a Saturday schedule.
There will be no waste collection on Dec. 25.
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