What’s open and closed on Remembrance Day 2025 in Ontario

While Remembrance Day is not a statutory holiday in Ontario, some locations and services may close for the day.

Remembrance Day arrives tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov.11), and communities throughout the country will be holding public ceremonies at local memorials and elsewhere.

Remembrance Day (or Armistice Day) was created as a day to honour those who died fighting in the First World War, commemorating the armistice signed between Germany and the Allied Forces in Paris on Monday, Nov. 11, 1918, preceding a full-scale ceasefire at 11 a.m. after the signing.

The first Armistice Day, now known as Remembrance Day, was officially observed in 1919 here in Canada.

Royal Canadian Legion branches across Canada hold Remembrance Day parades and ceremonies to honour veterans, and residents can find the closest ceremony on their website here.

Many cities across southern Ontario also hold civic ceremonies, with Mississauga having a ceremony at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Mississauga Civic Centre Community Memorial, while Brampton also has a parade and ceremony scheduled at Ken Whillans Square.

While Remembrance Day is not a public holiday in Ontario, some businesses may choose to close or give employees time off to attend a ceremony.

What’s open:

Across the province, the majority of shops and services will open for regular hours, with large shopping malls such as Square One Shopping Centre, Bramalea City Centre, Sherway Gardens and Eatons Centre remaining open.

However, it is best to check in with storefronts before heading out.

Grocery stores such as Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro and No Frills will operate with regular hours throughout the GTA as well.

LCBO locations may choose to close or open later, with remaining locations for The Beer Store confirming that most Ontario storefronts will open at 12 p.m. on Nov. 11, while some locations in the Ottawa area will open at 12:30 p.m.

Most provincial and municipal government services, such as libraries and community centres, are likely to remain open, although, like with retail locations, it is a good idea to check beforehand.

The City of Mississauga also recently confirmed offices and services will operate as usual tomorrow, same for the majority of services operated by the Region of Peel, save for recycling centres, which will be closed.

Public schools will remain open throughout.

What’s closed:

Canada Post, Service Canada, Passport and other federal government services will be closed.

Banks are typically closed.

For more information about Remembrance Day and its history in Canada, see the federal government website page here.