What’s open and closed in Vaughan during the holidays

The winter holiday season is just around the corner! The City of Vaughan is reminding residents about facility closures, alternate hours and changes in programming from Wednesday, Dec. 24 to Thursday, Jan. 1. 

Here’s everything you need to know: 

Municipal facilities

Most facilities – including Vaughan City Hall (2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.) – will be closed from Wednesday, Dec. 24 at noon to Thursday, Jan. 1, reopening on Friday, Jan. 2. Essential services, such as fire and emergency response, and by-law and enforcement services, will continue uninterrupted. Other administrative services will resume on Friday, Jan. 2, by phone, email, online and in person.

Community centres and recreational programming

Vaughan community centres will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 1. Community centres as well as Vaughan Fitness centres will operate on holiday hours on Wednesday, Dec. 24, Friday, Dec. 26 and Wednesday, Dec. 31. For more information, view the public holiday and modified hours schedule. 

Recreational swimming, skating, sports, fitness centers and game rooms will be available during the holidays. Schedules can be viewed online, and registration and pre-payment are available one week in advance at vaughan.perfectmind.com. Additionally, drop-in programming details during modified center hours are available at vaughan.perfectmind.com. 

December Break Camps for children ages three to 14 years old will run from Monday, Dec. 22 through Friday, Jan. 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Camp hours will be modified on Wednesday, Dec. 24 and Wednesday, Dec. 31, and camps will not run on the statutory holidays: Thursday, Dec. 25, Friday, Dec. 26 and Thursday, Jan. 1. For more information, visit vaughan.ca/camps.

Winter recreation programs, swim lessons and aquatic leadership courses start on Saturday, Jan. 10. For program and registration information, visit vaughan.ca/recreation. 

If you require assistance creating a PerfectMind account at vaughan.perfectmind.com, call Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or email Recreation Services at rec@vaughan.ca. 

If you’re looking for some exercise and outdoor fun over the holidays, the City’s outdoor rinks will remain open throughout the December break, weather permitting. You can also explore the City’s Great Walks of Vaughan nature trails and community walks. Visit vaughan.ca/GreatWalks for additional information, including maps, locations, distances and more. 

Vaughan Public Libraries

All Vaughan Public Libraries (VPL) branches will close on Wednesday, Dec. 24 at noon and will reopen on Saturday, Dec. 27. Branches will close on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at noon and reopen on Friday, Jan. 2. To view the hours of operation at all branches, visit vaughanpl.info. 

Have fun at home with VPL! With an internet connection and a VPL library card, you can enjoy many free online resources available through VPL’s website, including access to eBooks and eAudiobooks, films and television programs, music streaming services, e-learning courses, bilingual materials and more.

Waste collection 

There is no waste collection on Thursday, Dec. 25. Here are the schedule changes for the rest of that week:

• Thursday, Dec. 25 collection is moved to Friday, Dec. 26.
• Friday, Dec. 26 collection is moved to Saturday, Dec. 27.

There is also no waste collection on Thursday, Jan. 1. Here are the waste schedule changes for that week:

• Thursday, Jan. 1 collection is moved to Friday, Jan. 2.
• Friday, Jan. 2 collection is moved to Saturday, Jan. 3.

Please have waste set out by 7 a.m. on your scheduled collection day. Remember, Christmas tree collection takes place the weeks of Tuesday, Jan. 6 and Tuesday, Jan. 13 on your regularly scheduled collection days. Double-up Days will also take place the same weeks, on your regular garbage collection day. For the complete curbside collection schedule for both 2025 and 2026, visit vaughan.ca/WasteCalendar.

You can register online to purchase garbage tags, blue boxes and green bins and exchange broken City-branded bins through Service Vaughan. Starting Thursday, Jan. 1, the City of Vaughan will no longer sell new blue boxes or exchange broken or damaged City-branded blue boxes. Until Wednesday, Dec. 31, you can order them through Service Vaughan – visit our Where to Purchase Containers, Bins and Tags webpage for more information. 

If you need to know what goes where, download the Recycle Coach app through the Apple App Store or Google Play. For more information on all things waste in Vaughan, visit vaughan.ca/waste.

Vaughan Animal Services

Vaughan Animal Services remains available 24-7 for response to sick or injured animals. The Vaughan Animal Shelter (70 Tigi Crt.) will be closed to the public on Thursday, Dec. 25, Friday, Dec. 26 and Thursday, Jan. 1, and will reopen on Friday, Jan. 2. You can purchase pet licensing tags online at any time through Service Vaughan. For more information, visit vaughan.ca/AnimalServices.

Service Vaughan

Service Vaughan operates Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. with a live agent available by phone outside of those times to respond to municipal emergencies. The following holiday hours are in effect:

• Wednesday, Dec. 24 and Wednesday, Dec. 31 – 8:30 a.m. to noon

• Statutory holidays and weekends – a live agent will be available by phone to respond to municipal emergencies. If you call to report a municipal emergency, please stay on the line to be connected to the after-hours answering service. 

For more information, connect with Service Vaughan online, by phone at 905-832-2281 or email at service@vaughan.ca.

For updates and news as they happen, subscribe to Vaughan News and follow the official corporate channels on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.