BCA Newsletter March 2026

March 2026 News

BCA Bites

The BCA was formed in 1967 as the Blackburn Community Club. The organization was renamed the Blackburn Community Association in 1968 and was incorporated in 1978. The BCA manages the Community Hall bookings and all rental proceeds are used to support programs in our community including the annual Funfair, 60+ events held in 2025, parks cleaning in the Summer and operation of the three outdoor rinks in the Winter.

Neighbourhood Watch

Neighbourhood Watch Blackburn Hamlet

February's Ottawa Police Crime Map, indicates the following reported incidents:

Harassing Communications
Theft Under $5,000's
Assaults

Crime Map February 2026

On 5 Feb 2026, your Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators from Blackburn Hamlet met with other Community Associations and Ottawa Police District Community Police Officers regarding the launch a revitalized approach to Community Policing and a District Model in 2027. The OPS are invested in learning how to work together with communities in the areas of upstream prevention, risk intervention, incident response, and what neighbourhood policing should look like in our community - with a goal to strengthen collaborations. OPS is shifting to a service-wide community policing approach and implementing part of it through the District Model. This includes working together to help mitigate and prevent shared social and justice issues by supporting people, families, and neighbourhoods so they can thrive.

Items discussed included:

What does neighbourhood policing mean in your community—today and ideally?
How should we identify and prioritize neighbourhoods and local issues together?
How do we co-create solutions that reflect community needs?
What could a shared action plan and follow-up look like.

The OPS is organizing into four local districts—West, Central, South, and East—with dedicated teams focused on relationships, responsiveness, and collaboration close to where people live and work.

What was evident in this meeting, was that Blackburn Hamlet is a leader in assisting to further develop an enhanced partnership between the police and community within our Neighbourhood Watch model.

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 e mail distribution list through an assigned Block Captain.

The National Cybercrime Coordination Centre officially launched CyberChoices on February 18th, a new online initiative designed to encourage Canadians to use their technical skills legally and ethically. Developed with industry partners, the initiative aims to prevent cybercrime through early education and intervention.

By redirecting individuals towards legal paths, CyberChoices (rcmp.ca/en/cyber-choices) ensures talented Canadians can pursue tech careers pro-socially, without the potential of facing the lifelong burden of a criminal record.

Always lock all cars, garages, homes, and sheds to to enhance crime prevention.

Be safe and Be Aware.

BCA Annual General Meeting

When: Thursday, March 12, 2026

Registration: 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM

Meeting Start: 7:30 PM

Where: Blackburn Community Hall, 190 Glen Park Drive

Doors open at 7:00 PM for refreshments and voter registration. Meeting starts at 7:30 PM. Participation is open to all residents of Blackburn Hamlet, however, only residents who have renewed their BCA membership at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting are eligible to vote (https://blackburnhamlet.ca/about/bca-membership/).

The main areas of discussion at the AGM will be:

Vote to approve the 2025 AGM Minutes
Presentation of our 2025 financial statements and 2026 budget
Vote to appoint Kelly Huibers McNeely Chartered Professional Accountants as Accountants for the 2026 financial year
Vote to approve changes to our updated not for profit purpose statement
Review of our 2025 activities
Election of the board (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, 11 Directors)

Additional information can be found at blackburnhamlet.ca/event/bca-annual-general-meeting-4/

Seniors Events

Breakfast

When: Wednesday, March 4, 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 March 2nd. This has become a popular event and space is limited.

Lunch and Trivia

When: Friday, March 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM

Where: Blackburn Arms, 2586 Innes Road in Blackburn Hamlet

Hey Seniors, come and join us for an afternoon of food, laughter and skill-testing, head-scratching questions!

Blackburn Arms trivia master Conrad will be leading us in the question rounds, so gather your friends, put together a team of four or six, and join the fun.

No team? No problem! Just come to the pub and we will find a team for you.

Please RSVP to Shirley at 613-841-7691 by Wednesday, March 18, 2026.

Kids & Youth Events

Karaoke

When: Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 12:30 PM

Where: Community Hall, 190 Glen Park Drive

Grab the mic and shine! This karaoke event is for kids and youth of all ages. No experience needed— whether singing solo or with friends, it’s all about fun! Kids 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Zumba

When: Monday, March 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM

And: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 4:30 PM

Where: Community Hall, 190 Glen Park Drivet

Kids Zumba (Ages 7+) is a high-energy dance party full of fun music that combines aerobic exercises with fun and easy-to-follow moves! Parents are welcome to join in with their kids. Children 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Come dance, laugh, and move together!

Discovery Café

Discovery Café-- Sleep Update 2026 – Dr. Christopher Skinner

When: Thursday, March26, 2026 at 7:00 PM

Where: Blackburn Community Hall, 190 Glen Park Drive

By popular demand, Dr. Christopher Skinner will be returning to Discovery Café, this time to tackle the vitally important topic of sleep. During the session, Dr. Skinner will:

review the different types of sleep disorders and how these affect daily life;
review strategies to recognize and diagnose various sleep disorders;
review treatments—both pharmacological and non-pharmacological—to treat sleep disorders; and
discuss what can be done to improve your sleep and that of your bed partner.

Dr. Skinner received his B.Eng (Electrical) from the Royal Military College, and his medical degree from Queen's, and has served as both a Flight Surgeon Base Surgeon with the Canadian Forces. He received his specialist certification in General Internal and Neurology and qualified as a Diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine in 2005. For Dr. Skinner`s complete biography, please visit the BCA website at blackburnhamlet.ca/260326.

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

Hope to see you there!

Community Emergency Preparedness

BCA Safety recently attended an information session by the City’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) on how communities can be better prepared for emergencies. OEM highlighted how cities around the world, including Ottawa, continue to experience warmer, wetter and more unpredictable weather, largely due to climate change. Ottawa has seen where severe weather, power outages, or water disruptions can quickly escalate into emergencies that affect you, your loved ones, and your entire community. Over the past several years, notably in the months of March & April, Blackburn has experienced major power failures related to weather factors.

NOTE: Ottawa Hydro is projecting a 166% increase in winter demand by 2043.

These demanding situations have shown they can create conditions that overwhelm city resources. In these circumstances residents should be prepared to be self-sufficient for up to 72 hours. The BCA encourages all residents to learn how they can be better prepared for the unexpected. OEM recently developed “The Are You Ready? Workbook” which is a practical guide to helping individuals and families stay safe during emergencies. It provides easy-to-follow worksheets and checklists. The workbook helps you understand your risks, make a tailored plan and build an emergency kit.

Download the PDF Are You Ready workbook for help creating your own personal emergency plan.

BCA Safety

Councillor Dudas Update

After years of fighting to get the section of Innes Road in Blackburn Hamlet (from Bypass to Bypass) repaved, the work is on the books, and fully funded, in 2026! This has been a long time in the works and could not proceed until the required work that tore into the old asphalt, from cathodic protection work (hole drilling to preserve the water pipes) to road cuts from developments, was complete. Add to that the initial assessment and engineering work needed to commence a repaving job that was done last year, and, pun intended, the road is paved for construction to start in the coming months.

Beyond Innes Road, other renewal projects will also continue in 2026. Sections of Northpark Drive will be repaved, with the ironworks also replaced; the pathway from Agnes Purdy Park to École Sainte‑Marie will be rebuilt; and the Bearbrook Outdoor Rink will be levelled and resurfaced along with new side boards.

There is always more to do, and I will continue pushing for greater investment. I am always grateful to everyone who shares their ideas and thoughts on what you would like to see renewed or added in our community.

Hall and Arena WiFi

We have WiFi!

After many years of lobbying from the BCA and Councillor Dudas, both the Lois Kemp Arena and the Blackburn Community Hall now have free WiFi. For groups renting the Hall, the details are included in their reminder emails and are highlighted on posters in the Hall.

Thank you to Councillor Dudas, the City of Ottawa and the Arena staff for adding this important service to our public buildings.