BCA Newsletter May 2026

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Blackburn Community Association

May 2026 News

BCA Bites

The Blackburn Area News And Reports (BANAR) was first published in 1967 and continues to be published five times a year thanks to Jaclyn O’Shaughnessy, our volunteer BANAR Editor. You can find many of the past editions posted on the BCA Website. Each edition highlights past and future BCA events as well as community updates. The BANAR is available online and is distributed to 3,500 homes with additional copies available at the Library, Shoppers Drug Mart, Metro and at BCA events.

Community Garage Sale

Join our annual community garage sale Saturday, May 2, from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, rain or shine.

Hamlet residents do not need to register or sign up – simply put out a table and join in!

It's not too late to include your house on the sale map! Just send your address to garagesale@blackburnhamlet.ca before 6:00 PM on Friday, May 1st.

Please keep visiting the BCA website Garage Sale Page for more up-to-date information as it becomes available.

Garage Sale 2026

Youth Events

Kids Bingo

When: Friday, May 1, 2026 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM

Where: Blackburn Community Hall, 190 Glen Park Drive

Ages: 7 to 17

Bring your kids to the Community Hall for Kids bingo! There will be prizes for winners. Kids 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Kids Spring Fling

When: Saturday, May 16, 2026 9:30 AM to 11:15 AM

Where: Blackburn Community Hall, 190 Glen Park Drive

Ages: 2 to 10

Come celebrate the arrival of spring at the hall! This event will have opportunities for younger kids and their parents to engage in various spring-themed arts and crafts activities and games. Light refreshments will be provided. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Youth Home Alone Course

When: Sunday, May 24, 2026 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

Where: Blackburn Community Hall, 190 Glen Park Drive

Get your kids ready for home alone safety ahead of the summer! Your child will learn how to be responsible and safe while staying home alone. They will also learn how to build a safety plan including house rules , emergencies, street proofing, common lures and much more.

This 2 hour Ménard Safety Course for kids ages 8 to 12 years old, which is usually $40, will be partially sponsored by the Blackburn Community Association for the reduced cost of $20 per child. Please register your child by sending an email with their name, age and language to youth@blackburnhamlet.ca. Please note that space for this course is limited.

Seniors Events

Breakfast

When: Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 9:00 AM

Where: Halibut House, 2672 Innes Road in Blackburn Hamlet

Blackburn Seniors (55+) are invited to gather for a great meal, wonderful conversation and lots of laughs. As usual, we will collect at the breakfast non-perishable goods or cash donations for the Life Centre Food Bank.

If you wish to attend, please call Shirley at 613-841-7691 by May 4. This has become a popular event and space is limited.

Walk & Talk

When: Wednesday, May 20, 2026 1:00 PM

Where: TBD

We will be doing a 2 km and a 3 km circuit. Come and join us for one of the circuits, or both! Pets, kids, friends and family are all welcome to join us. Please check the BCA facebook group and look for posters in the neighborhood closer to the dates of the walks for additional information.

Greg Kazmierski Ball Diamond

The official renaming of the Blackburn Park Ball Diamond (next to the Lois Kemp Arena) to honour Greg Kazmierski will be held on May 9, 2026 at 11:00 AM.

Greg Kazmierski Ceremony

Discovery Café

Discovery Café - Two-in-one, better together: A two-virus system for tackling solid tumours using a combined viral/mRNA cancer immunotherapy — Timothy Lee

When: Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM

Where: Blackburn Community Hall, 190 Glen Park Drive

Ever heard of cancer killing viruses? They exist, and they’re proven to work! Problem is, they struggle to work effectively outside of very specific cases. Come and learn about how the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is tackling this problem, and how the institute is working to engineer new therapies to treat cancer.

Tim Lee is a PhD candidate working at the Ottawa Research Institute (OHRI). There, he works at the Cancer Research Program under the supervision of Dr. Carolina Ilkow and Dr. John Bell. His research focuses on using viruses engineered to kill cancer, and finding new ways to apply them across different types of cancers.

Admission to Discovery Café is free, people of all ages are welcome, and refreshments will be served.

Hope to see you there!

Questions? Please contact barbara@blackburnhamlet.ca.

First Aid Training Course June 27, 2026

On June 27, 2026, the Blackburn Hamlet Community Association has scheduled a First Aid Course. In accordance with Canada Red Cross regulations a minimum number of 13 candidates is required. The course is a CPR Level C and AED (Adult, Child and Infant), 6-hour course. Graduates will receive a three- year Red Cross certification. The cost is $70.00 per person + HST. There will be a written exam with a passing grade of 75%. The subjects covered will include:

Responding to Emergencies
Check, Call, Care
Airway Emergencies
Breathing and Circulation Emergencies
CPR, Cardiac Arrest and AED
Written exam (min. passing grade: 75%)

To register for the course please contact safety@blackburnhamlet.ca by June 1st.

What's Happening at the Funfair?

This year's Funfair is being held on June 5, 6 and 7. Plans are afoot to make this year's fair the best yet and organizers are proud to announce the following attractions at this year's fair:

Bracelets - this year's fair will be offering affordable all-weekend bracelets available for unlimited rides on all inflatables. Buy it early and use it all weekend for only $20! Want to avoid lineups? Bracelets can be pre ordered online and picked up at the Blackburn Public Library in advance. More details at https://www.blackburnfunfair.ca/bracelet/ and at the QR code below.

Casino Night - this year's fair will host another Casino Night thanks to sponsorship from the Club Optimiste de Blackburn Hamlet. The casino will run Friday night from 7-10pm and include popular games like poker, blackjack and roulette. Please note the event is a fundraiser with prizes for the winners and not a cash tournament. More info at https://www.blackburnfunfair.ca/casino

Free shows are back - guests raved about the added free attractions introduced last year and they're all back! Come enjoy hourly free shows including Mojo Magic magician Ben Lavalee, Little Rays Reptiles, stilt walker Luciano Lu, comedian Chris Pilsworth, juggler Jean-Guy Beaudry and Princess and Superheros sharing their story tales in the arena all weekend.

Bored of some attractions in recent years? Then you'll be happy to hear we're mixing things up again this year with some new bouncy options:

Soccer darts - it's a World Cup summer so show off your kicking prowess!
Pony hop racetrack - race your friends and win!
Drop Zone - Look down at the red bulls eye. Do you dare jump? Or will you lose your nerve and take the slide?

D&D tournament - Prepare yourself for a Saturday where imagination roars to life and heroes are forged! This year’s fair is unleashing an unforgettable Dungeons & Dragons one shot adventure, inviting brave souls to step into a world of danger, destiny, and daring choices. More info here: https://www.blackburnfunfair.ca/fantasy

50/50 Raffle - Last year's winner won almost $500! Support your local community by purchasing entries to our 50/50 Funfair Raffle at the QR code below.

Softball tournament - the Funfair softball tournament will be a 4-6 team mixed tournament with all games played at the ball diamond by the Lois Kemp arena June 5-6. Want to play? Register your team on the fair website before spots are gone: https://www.blackburnfunfair.ca/events/softball-tournament/

Cornhole tournament - Softball not your thing? Then try cornhole! Get that sack in the hole at our cornhole tournament Sunday at the community center. Want to play? More info here: https://www.blackburnfunfair.ca/cornhole-tournament/

SOS: The ABBA Experience - Funfair organizers are excited to announce that our Saturday evening headline act will be SOS: The ABBA Experience. Delighting audiences and playing to sold-out shows everywhere, SOS - The ABBA Experience recreates the music of ABBA almost note for note from the original albums with no backing tracks. Get your tickets now at the QR code below. The first 50 tickets sold are eligible to save $15 by using Promo Code BANAR30.

Thank you to all the volunteers who help out in big and small ways. The Funfair committee wholeheartedly thanks you. We are still looking for:

adults to supervise inflatables and help take tickets
SmartServe-certified adults who can help with tickets and/or bartend
dog show coordinator
help with food
sponsorship help

Questions and comments welcome! Reach out to the fair committee at chair@blackburnfunfair.ca.

FunFair 2026 Digital Sales

Tree Planting!

Councillor Laura Dudas invites you to be part of something impactful!

Where: 1754 St. Joseph Boulevard (former convent grounds)

When: Saturday, May 2, 2026

Time: 9:00 AM

Last fall, our amazing community came together to plant over 1,000 trees, and this spring, it's happening again! With support from Trees for Life, we’re aiming to plant another 1,000 trees to help grow our urban canopy and strengthen our local ecosystem.

Bring your family, friends, and neighbours, everyone is welcome!

Some tools will be available, but please bring your own shovel and gloves if you can.

Let’s work together to create a greener, healthier city for generations to come.

Questions? Reach out to Laura.Dudas@Ottawa.ca.

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La conseillère Laura Dudas vous invite à faire partie de cette initiative porteuse de sens!

Lieu: 1754, boulevard St-Joseph (ancien site du couvent)

Date: samedi 2 mai 2026

Heure: 9 h

L’automne dernier, notre formidable communauté s’est réunie pour planter plus de 1 000 arbres, et ce printemps, on recommence ! Grâce au soutien de Trees for Life, nous visons à planter 1 000 arbres supplémentaires afin d’accroître notre couvert forestier urbain et de renforcer notre écosystème local.

Invitez votre famille, vos amis et vos voisins, tout le monde est bienvenu!

Certains outils seront fournis, mais nous vous encourageons à apporter votre propre pelle et vos gants si possible.

Ensemble, créons une ville plus verte et en meilleure santé pour les générations à venir.

Des questions? Écrivez à Laura.Dudas@Ottawa.ca.

Neighbourhood Watch

Neighbourhood Watch Blackburn Hamlet

View the current BCA Neighbourhood Watch report Online. Topics include Reporting Crime, Distraction Thefts, Fraud and Crimes reported in Blackburn Hamlet over the past month.

Report all crime or attempted crimes to the Ottawa Police.

If you have not joined Neighbourhood Watch, please go to this link within the Blackburn Community Association website under "Safety" (blackburnhamlet.ca/our-work/safety/neighbourhood-watch/), complete the form and submit. You will be added to the email distribution list through an assigned Block Captain.

Awareness is the first step in personal Crime Prevention.