Easter weekend in Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Clarington: What’s open and closed

It’s Easter weekend in Oshawa, Whitby, Pickering, Ajax, Clarington and the rest of Durham Region!

Easter Weekend comes a little early this year. Unlike holidays with a set date, Easter is tied to the lunar cycle, coming on the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Most historians believe Jesus was most likely crucified on April 7 in 30 AD. However, early Christians wanted the holiday to coincide with the Jewish Passover, during which Jesus was killed.

Passover always falls on the 15th of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar. However, this date moves around compared to the more mainstream Gregorian calendar, so Easter moves as well to keep up.

As such, Good Friday (April 7), Easter Sunday (April 9) and Easter Monday (April 10) fall on the earlier side this year.

Almost everything that is closed Friday is closed Sunday.

What’s open and closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday:

Closed:

• Pickering Town Centre
• Oshawa Centre
• LCBO
• The Beer Store
• Canada Post (no mail pick-up or delivery)
• Community centres/arenas/pools
• Pickering Museum Village
• All municipal facilities
• Service Oshawa
• Banks
• Libraries
• City Hall/Town Hall
• Provincial Courts

Open:

• Some restaurants may be open for dining in, takeout and delivery, but call ahead to be sure
• Variety stores and some smaller grocery stores
• Most Shoppers Drug Marts
• Many breweries will be open; some with special holiday hours, so call ahead to be sure
• Most cannabis stores will be open, but call ahead to be sure
• Many municipal recreation centres will be open, but with modified hours

Waste Collection:

• Garbage and recycling days will be pushed ahead one day

Transit:

• DRT will run on a holiday schedule on Friday (regular weekday service resumes Monday)
• GO Transit will run on a Sunday schedule on Friday. Trains will run every hour making all station stops.
  • Eastbound trains will leave Toronto’s Union Station every hour on the quarter hour from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 a.m.
  • Westbound trains will leave Oshawa GO every hour near the half hour from 7:34 a.m. to 10:34 p.m.

What’s opened and closed on Easter Monday:

Closed

• Some government offices
• Canada Post (no mail collection or delivery)
• City/Town Hall
• Service Oshawa

Open

• Major malls and shopping centres
• Banks
• LCBO (some locations may have special hours, so call ahead to be sure)
• The Beer Store
• Most breweries. Some will have special holiday hours, so call ahead to be sure
• Cannabis stores
• Grocery stores
• Restaurants and most retail

Transit:

• DRT and GO Transit will run on a regular schedule on Monday

Waste Collection:

• Garbage and recycling schedules will be pushed ahead one day

Easter will come even sooner in 2024, starting on Mar. 31.