City of Ottawa officials are encouraging Canada Day revellers to use public transit to come downtown on Canada Day.

Dozens of roads are closed in downtown Ottawa and in the ByWard Market for Canada Day festivities. (A full list of road closures is at the bottom of this article)

It's part of the security measures put in place to protect the tens of thousands of people expected to descend on Parliament Hill and other events in downtown Ottawa and Gatineau today.

Officials are asking the public to arrive two to three hours before their intended event. Two access points will be setup on Wellington Street, one at Elgin Street and another near O'Connor and Bank Street, where individuals looking to get on Parliament Hill will be screened by officers. 

"We are encouraging the public to arrive earlier than normal so they can access the hill in time for the show they wish to see," said Mike O'Beirne, with the Parliamentary Protective Service. 

Knives, scissors, aerosol cans, tripods and hard sided coolers are banned from Canada Day sites including Parliament Hill and Major's Hill Park.  You are allowed to bring small coolers and folding chairs onto Parliament Hill this weekend.

In addition to the mandatory screening spots, a number of road closures will be in effect this weekend.

A full list of the closures can be found below.

From 5 am on June 30 to 12 am on July 2

  • Wellington Street, from Kent Street to MacKenzie Avenue
  • Wellington Street/Rideau Street eastbound, from MacKenzie Avenue to Sussex Drive/Colonel By Drive
  • Elgin Street southbound, from Wellington Street to Queen Street
  • Elgin Street northwest direction, from Queen Street to Wellington Street
  • Elgin Street eastbound direction, encroachment lane between the National War Memorial and the Colonel By Drive access ramp
  • Elgin Street westbound turning lane, from Queen Street to Albert Street
  • Metcalfe Street, from Wellington to Queen Street
  • O’Connor Street, from Wellington to Queen Street
  • Bank Street, from Wellington to Queen Street
  • Queen Street westbound, from Elgin Street to Metcalfe Street

From 6 am on July 1 to 3 am July 2

  • St. Patrick Street, from Sussex Drive to Alexandra Bridge
  • Murray Street, from Sussex Drive to Alexandra Bridge
  • Rideau Street, from Dalhousie Street to Sussex Drive
  • Sussex Drive southbound, from Boteler Street to St. Patrick Street
  • Sussex Drive, from Rideau Street to St. Patrick Street
  • MacKenzie Avenue, from Murray Street to Wellington Street
  • Colonel By Drive, from Rideau Street to Daly Street
  • Wellington Street, from Portage Bridge eastbound direction only to Sussex Drive
  • Eastbound on Wellington Street, from Lyon Street to Kent Street
  • Elgin Street, from Wellington Street to Laurier Avenue
  • Metcalfe Street, from Laurier Avenue to Wellington Street
  • O’Connor Street, from Laurier Avenue to Wellington Street
  • Bank Street, from Laurier Avenue to Vittoria Street
  • Kent Street, from Laurier Avenue to Wellington Street
  • Slater Street, from Lyon Street to Elgin Street
  • Albert Street, from Lyon Street to Elgin Street
  • Queen Street, from Lyon Street to Elgin Street
  • Lady Grey Drive
  • Mackenzie King Bridge, from Elgin Street to Waller Street
  • George Street, from Sussex Drive to Dalhousie Street
  • William Street, from York Street to George Street
  • York Street, from Sussex Drive to Dalhousie Street
  • Byward Street, from George Street to Clarence Street
  • Clarence Street, from Sussex Drive to Dalhousie Street
  • Parent Street, from Clarence Street to Murray Street
  • Street with No Name (Supreme Court of Canada), from Wellington Street to Vittoria Street
  • Vittoria Street, from Street with no Name to Bank Street
  • From 6 pm on July 1 to 3 am on July 2
  • Albert Street, from Lyon Street to Booth Street
  • Lorne Street, from Primrose Street to Albert Street
  • Primrose Street, from Booth Street to Lorne Street
  • Slater Street, from Lyon Street to Booth Street
  • Bay Street, from Laurier Avenue to Wellington Street
  • Queen Street, from Lyon Street to Bronson Avenue
  • Bronson Avenue, from Laurier Avenue to Sparks Street
  • Commissioner Street, from Albert Street to Wellington Street
  • Colonel By Drive, from Daly Street to Main Street
  • Daly Street, from Nicholas Street to Colonel By Drive

From 10 pm on July 1 to 3 am on July 2

  • Laurier Avenue, from Elgin Street to Cumberland Street
  • Laurier Avenue, from Queen Elizabeth Driveway on-ramp to Laurier Avenue westbound
  • Laurier Avenue, from Laurier Avenue on-ramp to Queen Elizabeth Driveway southbound