With the Selby plains, Westboro beach, bike paths and greenspace along the Ottawa river and various parks and pathways, the Westboro beach community offers our residents, the city and visitors to the National Capital region a unique experience.

The WBCA is reinvigorating its Greenspace Working Committee to work with the NCC and the city of Ottawa in maintaining and preserving our local greenspace and in setting a clear vision for its use, now and in the future.

We are looking for new members to join our group.  We will have a short presentation at the upcoming general meeting this April and welcome all those interested to come out.  If interested please send an email on our website.  More info on the general meeting will be coming soon.

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

Tuesday December 1, 2009
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Churchill Seniors Centre

Our guest speaker will be Alain Miguelez. Alain is a City of Ottawa planner, Program Manager for Inner Urban Development.

Living in the neighbourhood you are well aware of the constant infill development and you may have many questions such as what are the keys to good infill development, or what is a sustainable and livable neighbourhood to mention only a couple.

You will have the opportunity to ask Alain these questions and perhaps discuss ways to create a desirable and sustainable neighbourhood.

Other items on the agenda will include an overview of the past year and discussion on projects for 2010. Elections will also be held. There are still some spots left on the Board and we hope you will consider putting your name forward. If interested please contact us at info and let us know a little bit about yourself.

There will be light refreshments but please bring your own mug. We hope to see you at the AGM.

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!

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.

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.

We will meet at the Westboro Beach at 10:00 a.m. and launch our boats at approximately 10:30.  After a short paddle across Ottawa River to the Chaudiere Golf Club, we will turn our boats upriver and paddle along the shoreline until we reach the boat launch just below the Deschenes Rapids.  Once there we will land our boats and have lunch.  When lunch is over we will launch out boats and paddle across the Ottawa River to where the Ottawa River Parkway meets the Ottawa River.  We will then turn our boats downriver and paddle back to Westboro Beach arriving at approximately 2:00 p.m.

The safety of our families is the most important thing.  Please bring a life jacket for everyone who will be in your boat and the necessary safety equipment mandated by Transport Canada.  If you are not sure about what safety equipment is required, go to the following website (http://www.tc.gc.ca/marinesafety/debs/obs/equipment/size/unpowered.htm)

This is the first year for what we hope will become an annual event.

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:

Materials:

1. Coolers with ice to keep the food and beverages cold – 7
2. Barbeques, along with flippers, to cook the food on – 4
3. Large recycle/garbage bins for garbage and recyclable materials – 10
4. Large water containers – 5

If you would help by loaning any of the materials to the  the Beach Opening Barbaque listed above,  contact the WBCA at info.

Volunteers:

• Sellers to for tables (shifts no longer than 1.5 hours) – 10 people
• Cooks to for the barbeque (shifts no longer than 1.5 hours) – 10 people
• Someone to coordinate the bake sale – 1 person
• Cleanup crew to pick up any trash generated by the beach opening barbeque – 2 people
• Camera person to take pictures that will appear on the – 1 person

If you would like to volunteer to work at the Beach Opening Barbacue,  contact the WBCA at info.  Shifts on the barbaque and tables will be limited to 1.5 hours

Music:
Location: The band will be setting up in their usual location the patio.
Time: Approximately 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The band who played Irish music at last year’s barbeque is back again this year to play the lively brand of Irish music they played last year.

Barbeque
Location: Under the trees at the entrance to the pavilion patio.
Time: Food will be available from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Traditional barbeque foods such as hamburgers and hotdogs will be available.  For the non-meat eaters, we will be serving veggie burgers this year.  An assortment of pop will be available.  In an attempt to reduce waste we will not be selling bottled water.  We will have tap water that you can fill up your own water containers with.

Plant, Book, and Bake sale
Location:  Under the trees at the entrance to the pavilion patio.
Time: Items can be purchased from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Book sale – Anyone who wishes to donate books for the book sale can bring them to the barbeque or drop them off at 272 Atlantis Avenue

Plant Sale: Anyone who wished to donate plants for the plant sale can bring them to the barbeque or drop them off at 244 Royal Avenue.

Bake sale – We are looking for a volunteer to coordinate the bake sale.  If you have the time and the desire to organize this activity contact the WBCA at info.

Scavenger hunt:
Location: Most if not all or the items listed on the scavenger sheet can be found in the beach area.
Time: Finish time is 6:30 p.m.

Collection sheets will be available at the book/plant/bake sale table at 4:00 p.m.  Just pick up a sheet and start collecting the items listed on the sheet.  There will be prizes for those participating and a grand prize for the person who finds all/most of the items on the scavenger list.

Sandcastle building contest:
Location: Just setup on a portion of the beach and build away.
Time: Feel free to start building your sand castle whenever you wish.  Judging will take place at 5:30 p.m.
Maps of Canada or the world will be given out to those participating.  We will be taking pictures of the castles and posting them on the WBCA web site.  It is up to each parent to decide whether the castle builders (children) are included in the pictures of the sand castles that will be posted on the WBCA web site.

The beach opening is the WBCA’s primary fundaiser and we need your help to make it a success.  No amount of assistance is too large or too small.  We are looking forward to a sunny day and a great turnout.

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 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.

Monday March 23, 2009
9:30 to 11:00 a.m.
All Saints Anglican Westboro
(entrance on Madison)