OTTAWA — Ottawa Public Health has confirmed measles infections in two residents who were exposed to the virus outside Ontario and has identified eight public locations where other people may have been exposed.

The health unit said Thursday that there is no evidence of local transmission and that the risk to the general population remains low. People who could be identified were contacted directly; the public notice is intended to reach others who may have visited the listed locations during the exposure windows.

Exposure locations and times

  • Tim Hortons, 3224 Hawthorne Road — October 1, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Your Independent Grocer, 1910 St. Laurent Boulevard — October 2, 3:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
  • Rexall Drugstore, 1910 St. Laurent Boulevard — October 2, 3:45 p.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Metro Supermarket, 2261 Walkley Road — October 2, 4 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
  • Subway, 3190 Hawthorne Road — October 2, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • McDonald's, 1796 St. Laurent Boulevard — October 2, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Ruby's Restaurant, 10 York Street — October 2, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
  • Tim Hortons, 2800 Lancaster Road — October 3, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Ottawa Public Health advises people present at those locations and times to monitor for symptoms for 21 days after exposure. The listed monitoring periods end October 22, 23 or 24, depending on the location.

Four Ottawa infections confirmed in 2026

The two new infections bring Ottawa's 2026 total to four confirmed cases. Public health says measles symptoms can develop seven to 21 days after exposure and the virus can remain in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours.

Measles is highly contagious. Ottawa Public Health says vaccination offers the best protection and that two doses are 99 per cent effective at preventing infection in children. People who develop symptoms after a possible exposure should contact a health-care provider or public health for instructions before attending a clinic, so precautions can be arranged.

Sources: Ottawa Public Health alert, October 8; Ottawa Public Health exposure table; Ottawa Public Health measles guidance.

Lead image: transmission electron micrograph of a measles virus particle by Cynthia S. Goldsmith and William Bellini for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain; microscopic file image, not one of the Ottawa cases.