Westboro Beach Community Association

What – Westboro Beach Community Association Winter Bonfire
Where – Westboro Beach

When – February 13/2009 (there is no alternate date)

Westboro Beach Toboggan Hill

Time – 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm

Hello neighbours;

It has been several months since the last WBCA event (Beach closing bonfire) and it is time to get together with friends and neighbours to enjoy the outdoors.  One of the best ways to enjoy the winter is to go tobogganing.  As many of you probably know, there is a nice slope at Westboro beach where many people go tobogganing with family and friends.  If the snow conditions are favourable we can also build snowmen or snow forts.

As anyone who has been tobogganing at Westboro beach knows, it can get quite cold when the wind is blowing off the Ottawa River.  To help warm up after a few runs down the hill, there will be a bonfire and free hot chocolate.  In order to reduce the amount of waste, we are asking people to bring their own mugs for the hot chocolate.

Lets all work together to make this a safe and fun event.  We do not want to have any collisions on the hill.  Before sliding down the hill, please check to ensure that no one is coming up the hill in the area you will be sliding down.  There are plenty of cars travelling west on the Ottawa River Parkway so keep an eye on the kids so they do not climb up the snow bank between the top of hill and the Parkway.  Finally, be sure to keep the kids that are with you from sliding onto the frozen river, playing along the river shoreline or wandering out onto the frozen river.

What can you do to help make this event successful?

• Show up and have a good time.
• Inform you neighbours about the event.
• Contribute wood for a fire.  If you have any firewood you wish to contribute, telephone Peter Bruton at 613 798-0880.
• Bring your own mugs for the hot chocolate.

See you on the hill.

WBCA Executive Council

Date – Saturday, September 12th (no rain date)
Time – 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location – Westboro Beach

Let’s get together for a bonfire and marshmallow roast–one of our longstanding traditions.  The WBCA will supply marshmallow sticks, marshmallows and the bonfire.  All you need to bring is yourselves, chairs/blankets, and something to drink.

Music will be provided by Canadian performer Russell Levia.

Everyone welcome!

Date -  Tuesday June 23rd
Time – 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. rain or shine
Location – Roy Duncan/Van Lang  Park, 299 Churchill Avenue North

Join us in celebrating the reopening of Roy Dunan/Van Lang park.  Over the last year considerable effort has been invested in improving the Roy Duncan/Van Lang Park.  Councillor Christine Leadman will be hosting the event along with the Dovercourt Recreational Association, Carlington Community Health Centre, City of Ottawa Parks and Recreation, Ottawa Community Housing and the Westboro Beach Beach Community Association.  Special thanks to the Kiawanis Club of Ottawa West and WBIA (Westboro Business)

How can you help?  We are looking for volunteers to help with activities and serving food.  If you have the time and the desire to volunteer for this event, contact the WBCA at info.

Date – Saturday, July 4th
Time – Westboro Beach at 10:00
Proposed Route
What to bring: Boat, water shoes, lunch, life jackets and safety equipment.

The Ottawa River is a major fixture in our community.  Many people launch canoes and kayaks from Westboro Beach to enjoy a relaxing paddle on the river.  Lets take this opportunity to celebrate the river and get to know one another.

Besides enjoying an activity on the river, lets take this opportunity to make the event as colouful as possible.  Decorate you boat with stickers, streamers, paintings, etc.  Dress up as your favourite characters.  Adopt a theme for decorating your boat and costume you and your family can dress up in .  The story of Peter Pan is a good example.  You could decorate your boat as a pirate ship and have you and family members dress up as pirates, princesses, fairies, first nation warriors/princesses, etc.  If the story of Peter Pan does not work for you, then chose another theme.  The idea is to decorate your boat and dress up, not which story theme you have selected.

Read more…

Date – Saturday June 20th,
Time – 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. rain or shine
Location – Westboro Beach

The annual beach barbeque is a longstanding tradition that we hope you will attend.  Not only is it a good way to meet your neighbours for an afternoon of fun in the sun, but this is also the WBCA’s primary fundraiser.  We need your support to continue to host community events and to provide community feedback on issues that affect both our neighbourhood and the city.

For the last several years we have had the Beach Café to deliver the barbeque.  We would like to thank Moe Atallah for his support and generous donation over the years, and which he continues to provide for our community. This year the WBCA will be hosting the barbeque ourselves.  This means we will be cooking and serving the food.  Not only will we be having the traditional activities we have offered in the past (barbeque, scavenger hunt, plant sale, book sale, and bake sale) but this year we will be hosting a sand castle building event.

The barbecue’s activities are as follows:

• Barbeque
• Plant, book, and bake sale
• Scavenger hunt
• Sandcastle building

How can you help?  We need the following materials and volunteers to make the Westboro Beach Opening Barbeque a success:

Read more…

Date/time – Saturday May 23rd at 10:00 a.m.

Rain date/time – Sunday May 24th at 10:00 a.m.

This clean-up kicks off the 2009 WBCA community events calendar   In the past we have focused on the beach and riverfront, but this year we would like to expand this activity to cover the entire community.  How can you help?  Just show up and pick up trash.  The WBCA will supply garbage bags and small boxes for glass.  We are providing small boxes so that bottles and broken glass are recycled and do not end up in the garbage.  All you need to provide are sets of willing hands and gloves to protect those willing hands from the trash.

This year we are setting up three collection stations (see attached map).  The collection stations are located at Westboro Beach, the CBC pathway, and the park near Remic Avenue.  You can go to the collect station closest to your home and pick up a garbage bag and/or box.  We have scouted the area and noted areas that require special attention.  They will be marked on maps at each collection station.  You can select an area that appeals to you and away you go.  If you are aware of any problem areas that we missed, please let us know and we will add them to the list.  Once you have finished cleaning up your area simply drop off the trash at one of the collection stations and we will arrange to have the garbage disposed of and the glass recycled.

We look forward to seeing you at this event.

The days are getting longer, the trees are budding and the flowers are starting to bloom.  Yes, Spring is definitely here.  Accompanying Spring is the Westboro Beach Community Association’s (WBCA) calendar of community events for the Spring/Summer/Fall of 2009.  The WBCA has hosted a number of events over the years with the aim of keeping our community clean and green, providing venues for neighbours to get to know one another, and to raise money to run the Association.

The events we are sponsoring for this Spring/Summer/Fall are:

• Neighbourhood and Post-Victoria Day Beach and River Front Clean-up (Saturday, May 23rd, 10:00 a.m.)
• Westboro Beach Opening Barbecue (Saturday, June 20th, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.)
• Reopening of Roy Duncan/Van Lang  Park (Tuesday, June 23rd, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m)
• Paddling on the Ottawa River (Saturday, July 4th, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.)
• Westboro Beach Closing Bonfire (Saturday, September 12th, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m)

Other events at Westboro Beach include:

• BOB.FM movies at the beach (check the BOB.FM website for movie schedule)

As you can see from the events listed above, we plan to continue a number of the events that the WBCA has hosted in the past as well as launch a new family paddle on the Ottawa River that we hope will be a success. We are always open to new ideas so if you have any thoughts on events that you think would benefit the community, feel free to contact anyone on the board or send us an email.

What can you do to help make WBCA community events successful?  There are many different ways to help.  Participating in the events is the easiest way to help.  Another way to help is to volunteer a bit of your time.  The more volunteers we have, the easier it is to organize and host events.  Finally, you can participate by donating goods (books, CDs, baked goods, plants, etc.) for community fundraisers.  To find out more about the events and how you can help, click on the event articles.

Well that is it for the spring/summer/fall activities for 2009, unless one of you comes up with ideas for any other events.  If you do, feel free to contact us at info  We have a few ideas (toboggan day, winter bonfire, snow/ice sculpture) planned for the winter of 2009 and those will appear in out fall/winter newsletter.  Lets all work together to in 2009 to make our community all it can be.

Tuesday, September 30 7:30-9:30

Churchill Seniors Centre, Townhall, corner of Richmond and Churchill

The Annual AGM is the opportunity to hear about the activities, issues, concerns, accomplishments….of the 2007 Executive Committee.  It is also a time to check in with your neighbours, suggest new initiatives, and let your voice be heard.

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The Westboro Beach Community Association would like to thank the following individuals and businesses for their generous contributions to our recent WBCA Annual BBQ fundraiser.

Because of this generousity we will be able to continue to serve our community. The money raised will be used to cover the costs of our newsletters, special events such as the annual Beach Closing Bonfire and the rebuilding of Van Lang Park to serve everyone in the neighbourhood.

Read more…

The Ottawa Citizen presents BOB’s Movies on the Beach Tour 2008.

BOB kicks off the summer Friday June 27th at Westboro Beach with the theme: Superhero Blockbusters.

Read more…