Ottawa is set to observe Colonel By Day on Monday, August 3, 2026, the city's civic holiday, and as always that means a mixed bag of closures and open-for-business signs across the capital. Named after Colonel John By, the British Royal Engineer who founded Bytown (Ottawa's original name) and oversaw construction of the Rideau Canal, the holiday gives residents a long weekend to enjoy the last stretch of summer — but it also shuffles around what services are actually accessible that day.
What's closed
As a statutory civic holiday, Ottawa's municipal offices, including City Hall, are closed on Colonel By Day. That means no in-person service at municipal client service centres, and processes like permit applications or property tax inquiries that require staff will have to wait until Tuesday. Federal government offices, which employ a huge share of the city's workforce, are also closed, along with most banks and credit unions. Canada Post does not deliver on civic holidays, and public schools and most municipal recreation programming are off for the day as well.
What's open
Ottawa's transit system, OC Transpo, continues running on the holiday, though typically on a Sunday-level schedule rather than a full weekday timetable — so riders heading downtown or to festivals should build in extra time between buses and trains. Most grocery stores, pharmacies, and big-box retailers stay open on civic holidays in Ontario, since Colonel By Day isn't a province-wide statutory holiday under Ontario's retail closing rules the way Canada Day or Labour Day are — it's a municipally designated day off. That means shops along Bank Street, the Rideau Centre, and Ottawa's other retail strips will largely carry on business as usual, and restaurants and patios across the city should be busy with locals soaking up the long weekend.
Why Ottawa has its own civic holiday
Colonel By Day is Ottawa's local answer to the civic holidays observed in cities across Ontario on the first Monday of August — Toronto calls it Simcoe Day, for instance. Ottawa's version pays tribute to the man most responsible for the city's existence: Colonel By arrived in 1826 to lead construction of the Rideau Canal as a military supply route between Montreal and Kingston, and the settlement that grew up around the canal works eventually became Bytown, then Ottawa. The canal itself remains one of the city's defining landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so the long weekend often doubles as a good excuse for a walk or paddle along the water.
The bottom line for residents
If you've got errands that require a government office, a bank branch, or mail delivery, plan around the closure and get them done before or after the holiday. Otherwise, most of what makes Ottawa fun in early August — patios, shops, transit, parks — will be up and running, so it's a solid day to get outside and enjoy the city.
Source: CTV News
