Going to a Pope event in the Edmonton area? Here's what you need to know
Ahead of Pope Francis' visit to Edmonton, Maskwacis and Lac Ste. Anne later this month, event organizers held a press conference on Thursday to share details about the logistics of the trip.
Here's what attendees, and residents of the Edmonton area, need to know ahead of the Papal Visit.
ROAD CLOSURES
Rolling road closures — meaning that a road is closed before and after the Pope's motorcade passes by — are expected in certain areas between July 24 and 27.
The QEII will have road closures and limited access when the Pope travels from the Edmonton International Airport to his destination in the city on Sunday, July 24.
A day later, when the Pope travels to Maskwacis, there will be restricted access to the QEII and Highways 611 and 2A near Ponoka, Maskwacis and Wetaskiwin.
On Tuesday, July 26, the Pope is scheduled to visit Lac Ste. Anne and there will be closures and limited access along Highways 16, 43 and 633.
The QEII will once again have closures and limited access when the Pope leaves Edmonton on Wednesday, July 27.
PARK-AND-RIDE
More than 120,000 people are expected to attend the Papal events: 80,000 at Commonwealth Stadium, 25,000 in Lac Ste. Anne, 15,000 in Maskwacis, and 775 at Sacred Heart Church.
People who register to attend Papal events are strongly encouraged to get there early.
The main way to reach the sites in Edmonton, Maskwacis and Lac Ste. Anne is through park-and-ride.
For the Papal Mass at Commonwealth Stadium on July 26, there will be a number of park-and-ride locations across the city.
They will open at 7 a.m. and people with a ticket to the mass can ride for free until 2:30 p.m.
"Organizers for the Papal Mass have indicated that the event will start promptly at 10 a.m. and are asking that everyone plan to arrive early. And for those who are seated on the floor to arrive by 8:30 a.m," said Nicole Poirier with the City of Edmonton.
Poirier added road closures and increased traffic could cause ETS delays for buses the morning of the mass, "and therefore we are asking everyone to plan extra time for your regular commutes."
The Maskwacis and Lac Ste. Anne events will also have park-and-ride services in the area.
To get to Maskwacis, there will be buses from Heritage Valley in Edmonton, the Reynolds Museum in Wetaskiwin, and the Stampede Grounds in Ponoka.
And for Lac Ste. Anne, people can park and take the bus from Langford Park, Villeneuve Airport and Mayerthorpe Airport.
OTHER NOTES
People who attend Commonwealth Stadium need to have a ticket. Resold tickets purchased online will not be valid, organizers said.
All the events will be broadcast live and organizers are working to have them in many languages.
Organizers stressed the need to plan ahead, arrive early, use park-and-ride, and register for the events.
For more information, visit the papalvisit.ca, alberta.ca and edmonton.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Shameful': Monument honouring fallen soldiers included names of living veterans
Veterans are asking for answers after discovering that two sculptures in Ontario honouring fallen soldiers include the names of many people who are very much alive.
'If it ain't broke don't fix it': U.S. ambassador warns Canada against cutting Mexico out of trilateral trade deal
Cutting Mexico out of the current North American free trade deal 'may not be the best path to take,' says U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen.
Canada's air force took video of object shot down over Yukon, updated image released
The Canadian military has released more details and an updated image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023.
Cookie inflation: How much more is your holiday baking costing you this year?
Estimate how much more your Christmas cookies will cost to bake this year compared to the past five years using Statistics Canada's monthly average retail price data.
Smash and grab: Canada sees a spike in jewelry store robberies
Many cities across Canada are seeing a spike in jewelry store robberies in recent months.
Invasive species could be hiding in your Christmas decor. Here's how to stop the spread
Make sure to look through your holiday decorations, as Christmas trees, wreaths, and other natural decor can have invasive insects, eggs, and plants that pose a threat to local ecosystems and the economy.
This watch was carved from a meteorite that hit Earth a million years ago
A new watch from design duo Toledano & Chan has been carved from a meteorite that slammed into Earth around one million years ago.
Police find bag carried by gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, say he likely fled NYC on bus
Investigators found a backpack in Central Park that was carried by the shooter, police said Friday, following a massive sweep to find it in a vast area with lakes and ponds, meadows, playgrounds and a densely wooded section called 'The Ramble.'
A police photographer recounts the harrowing day of the Polytechnique massacre
Montreal crime scene photographer Harold Rosenberg witnessed a lot of horror over his 30 years on the job, though nothing of the magnitude of what he captured with his lens at the Polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989. He described the day of the Montreal massacre to CTV Quebec Bureau Chief Genevieve Beauchemin.