Canada Day is coming up this Wednesday. Most government offices, all banks and many businesses will celebrate by closing and giving their employees a day off. There will be numerous festivities throughout the country, and transit will be operating limited service to get people to them.
The Toronto Transit Commission is operating “holiday service” on this day, which means that buses, subways and streetcars will be operating on Sunday schedules, except for the fact that the subway and its associated feeder routes will be opening at 6 a.m. instead of 9 am. Even though Toronto’s Canada Day celebrations have been cancelled due to the city strike, they aren’t the only game in town. There’s always the traditional Canada Day celebrations going on at Queen’s Park, accessible from Queen’s Park subway station. The Toronto Jazz Festival is also unaffected by the strike, and there is an event promised at Nathan Phillips Square at 8:00 p.m.
GO Transit is running Saturday service on Canada Day, including its special four trains each way between Toronto and Niagara Falls. In fact, GO is offering a special 2-for-1 deal for passengers heading out to Niagara Falls or back on this train. Bring a friend, and they’ll ride for free.
Mississauga Transit is offering free transit service on Canada Day from noon to midnight and, as part of Canada Day festivities at the Civic Square, Mississauga Transit authorities will be along with a bus to offer demonstrations on how to use their buses’ bike racks. Canada Day celebrations will force the detours of 3 Bloor, 26 Burnhamthorpe, 61 Mavis buses. Buses will be operating on a Sunday schedule.
York Region will be offering a number of parades to celebrate Canada Day, and this will affect York Region Transit and VIVA services. You can get the full details about these parades here. Buses will be operating on a Saturday schedule this day.
In Durham Region, limited holiday service is being offered to the communities of Ajax, Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa and Clarington, with service cancelled on the Brock Community Bus and the 950 Uxbridge/Port Perry/UOIT service.
Oakville Transit will run holiday service between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., using Zone Express Service plus fixed route service on Routes 14, 19, 24 and 28. Burlington Transit will operate Sunday service, plus a special shuttle bus running from the Central Library to and from the Downtown Bus Terminal in support of the special fireworks display planned at Spencer Smith Park. This shuttle will operate between 7 and 11 p.m.
It is expected that the Hamilton Street Railway will offer limited service on Canada Day, but this hasn’t been formally announced. The HSR will operate a free shuttle service from King and John Streets to Pier 4 Parks from 6 p.m. until midnight as part of the Canada Day celebrations there. Fireworks will be taking place at dusk.