Canada Day 2017 in Ottawa

[Acajack]

So I've come and gone a few times today and while there were many good and better things about Canada 150, there are also a bunch of blunders that I might call significant.

- Who's idea was it to have tens of thousands of people go through three small choke points to get on the Hill? I fully understand the need for security and searches but geez... more points of entry and staff would have hurt. Some people waited 7.5 hours.

- Would it have killed them to pre-screen food vendors and staff and have food and beverages inside the secured zone on the Hill? As is stands people who waited hours to get in have to line up again if they need to leave the zone to get food and drink.

- They said leave your car at home and take transit but it was very inadequate on both sides of the river. Sunday service for the most part, and very few extra buses. What were they thinking? One anecdote: there was a shuttle service between the National Gallery and Jacques-Cartier Park across the Alexandra Bridge. A very short hop. But the buses were infrequent and the stops on either side of the river weren't even clearly marked. And on the Ottawa side they allowed hot dog vendors to set up shop right where the buses stopped. So people getting off the buses walked right into hot barbecues...

- Canada Day shuttle bus services stopped at 6:30 pm for an event that will end after 11 pm. WTF?