Blackburn Funfair

The annual Blackburn Funfair is this weekend!

There will be a wide variety of activities, fireworks, an expanded showcase and silent auction, a used book sale, a BBQ and various excellent food trucks and all the great entertainment on the main stage.  There will also be an opportunity to renew your BCA Membership on Saturday, at the showcase in the Louis Kemp Arena.

Don't forget, Bearbrook Road, between Louis Riel High School and Innes Road, will be closed on Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. until approximately 10:45 a.m. for the FunFair parade! Please bring a non-perishable food donation that will be picked up by volunteers with Metro shopping carts who will be walking on either side of the parade route. All items will be donated to our local Blackburn Hamlet Food Bank.

It’s going to be one heck of a fair this year! Check out blackburnfunfair.ca for the latest updates and schedule of events.

EV Experience

Are you curious to amp up your electric vehicle knowledge and learn why they are important for Ottawa? EV Experience will be at the Blackburn Fun Fair from Friday, June 2 to Sunday, June 4!

Come down to the Lois Kemp Arena to check out all the fun events, including our information booth and test drive station. Our test drive events are a great opportunity to talk to experienced and knowledgeable EV enthusiasts and to ask them all your questions. And of course, you will be able to drive or ride in an electric vehicle too!  

Visit evexperience.ca/events/ to learn more or to book your test drive/ride! 

Louis Kemp Arena Parking Lot Repairs

The City of Ottawa Infrastructure Services has advised that the contractor for the Lois Kemp Arena expansion project will be commencing remedial construction work at the main parking lot starting on June 6th.  The purpose of the work is to reconstruct the landscape islands, which were not initially constructed in accordance with the structural soil requirements.  The estimated duration of construction is 4 weeks. Infrastructure Services has indicated that the entirety of the main parking lot will be closed for the duration of construction, including the EV charging station. The parking lot to the north of the Blackburn Community Hall will remain open.  Regular users of the Hall, Arena, Baseball diamond and Soccer Field have been advised of the the upcoming closure.

Ottawa Police Home Security

On June 8 from 7pm to 9pm, the Blackburn Community Association (BCA), in cooperation with Ottawa Police Services (OPS), is a having a Home Inspection Night where residents can learn on how to enhance the security of their home from the experts (The Ottawa Police).  Constable Marc Leroux and his Team will conduct the presentation.

The presentation is based on the principles of Crime Prevention. Crime prevention is a matter of balancing risks and choices, assessing what is practical and what we know about criminal behavior. The discussions will look at a variety of those issues that can increase your chances of having criminal activity, such as the Exterior Doors, Garage & Sliding Doors, and Protecting Your Windows. What is your lighting system? Do you have an alarm? Is your personal property identified? Photographed. These areas, and many more are explored.

At the presentation there will also be products recommended by the Ottawa Police to enhance your home safety, such as patio and window locks and door lock bolts.

To register for this event send us an email to safety@blackburnhamlet.ca. Food and Refreshments will be available.

Adult Bike Safety

On June 10 at 9am, the Blackburn Community Association (BCA), in cooperation with Ottawa Police Services (OPS), is a having a day of information and fun for bike riders, whether you are experienced or just learning this healthy and liberating activity. 

The event will have three parts: bike information, demonstration of new bike safety features on large vehicles, and a bike ride through the community. 

The information sessions will be held at the Blackburn Community Center. The main presentation, by the Ottawa Police Instructor on Bike Safety, will focus on safe riding strategies and the laws of bike riding. Another OPS department, as part of the 529 Garage Program, will show riders how to effectively protect your bike from theft. Also in attendance will be Safer Roads Ottawa (SRO) and Bike Ottawa. 

After the Information Sessions Lafarge Canada will provide a demonstration on the new bike safety features now prevalent on their vehicles that allow both drivers and cyclists to take precautions in the prevention of on-road collisions. These new bike safeguards include: cyclist warning signs, mirrors, auxiliary turn signals, turn side guards. There will also be an opportunity for cyclists to sit in the Lafarge vehicle and sense some of the challenges drivers of these vehicles experience. 

For the bike ride the Ottawa Police will lead our group down Bearbrook to Montreal Road. Along the ride the group will be instructed on effective bike riding strategies when meeting and passing other vehicles, positioning on the roadway, and proper bike riding signalling. The ride back to the Community Center will be via the NCC Trail System.

To register for this event send us an email to safety@blackburnhamlet.ca. Food and Refreshments will be available. 

Rain Barrels for Sale!

The BCA Beautification Team is in planning mode and we need your help! Purchase a rain barrel through our affiliated fundraiser to support the environment and development of our gateway gardens. Order now and get it delivered right to your door or pick up at the Community Hall on June 22, 2023.

To purchase a rain barrel and harvest the rain, place your Online Order Now.  Deadline for orders is June 16, 2023. For more information, contact Miriam Hampson at beautification@blackburnhamlet.ca.

Make a difference, contribute by taking positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet.

Virtual Climate Resiliency Dialogue

June 19, 2023 from 6pm to 8pm on Zoom.

This dialogue will be an opportunity to learn about climate impacts and risks and share how you see them affecting you and your community. It will also be a chance to discuss actions that individuals, communities and the City can take to prepare for climate impacts. 

This event is part of a series of community dialogues co-organized by CAFES and partner Community Associations across Ottawa. The insights from the dialogues will be sent back to Community Associations, attendees, and to the City's Climate Change and Resiliency team to help inform the Climate Resiliency Strategy.

Please Click Here to secure your spot. 

Blackburn Hamlet Garden Tour

Date: July 8 & 9, 10 am to 4 pm

Where: Gardens throughout the Hamlet

Time is drawing near for this year's garden tour!

Last year there were 16 gardens on the tour and we are hoping to have many new gardens this year.  Plan a day with family and friends to come and visit the gardens, get ideas, share your knowledge and be amazed as to what your neighbours have been up to in their gardens.

Those interested in putting their front, back or both gardens on the tour should contact Cynthia Hoisak at 613-799-9514 or gardentour@blackburnhamlet.ca. 

The tour is free and a map will be available for self-guided tours. Flyers, maps and street signage will be available closer to the event date and will also be posted on the BCA website at blackburnhamlet.ca/event/garden-tour-2023/

Upcoming BCA Events

June 1-3 Blackburn Funfair

June 7 Seniors Breakfast

June 8 Home Security

June 10 Adult Bike Riding

June 15 BCA Board Meeting

July 8-9 Garden Tour