Category: News & Events

March with the NCVA in the Capital Pride Parade!

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Capital Pride Parade 2010

Come march with the NCVA in the Capital Pride Parade on Sunday, August 28th at 1:00 PM (meet in advance at 12:30 PM at Garden of the Provinces).

This is a great opportunity to show the strength and numbers of the veg*n community in the national capital region as well as the NCVA’s support of the LGBTQ community of Ottawa!

Respond to this invite on Facebook or by emailing us at ncva (dot) avcn (AT) gmail (dot) com, so that we have an idea of how many marchers will be joining us on the big day.

We will have a banner and we ask that everyone try to wear something orange (or green) so that we look more like a cohesive group. If you want to wear a veggie costume, email us and we will let you know if there is one available. First come, first served!

Don’t forget to bring water to keep hydrated as well as prepare for the weather (hat, sunscreen, etc.).

Click here for more information about the parade (including the route).

The NCVA will also have a booth at the Info Fair to promote the association, educate the public on the benefits of a plant-based diet, and expose the resources and welcoming vegetarian community in the national capital region. If you are interested in volunteering/tabling at our booth, please email us with your preferred time (between 12 – 10 pm).

If you have any ideas, questions, or extra RSVP info, you can email us and let us know.

Happy Pride!

E-mail: ncva (dot) avcn (AT) gmail (dot) com

NCVA response to Ottawa Citizen pictorial, “This Little Piggy”

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On July 25, the Ottawa Citizen published a pictorial that followed one pig from its life on a small farm, through the process of being slaughtered, and then finally, to someone’s plate at a ritzy Ottawa restaurant. You can see it–and some of the photos–here.

Public response has been interesting. Some readers were appalled and upset, feeling that they shouldn’t be subjected to such inappropriateness. Boy, tell it to the pig.

Here’s the letter that NCVA President Josh Flower submitted to the Citizen for consideration, in response to the original pictorial, and the letter linked to above:

Response to Lost my appetite reading pig story
July 26, 2011

Volunteers with the National Capital Vegetarian Association (NCVA) definitely relate to the sentiments expressed by Francine Laurendreau in her letter to the Citizen. The photos in the pictorial This Little Piggy were indeed disturbing and upsetting. However, as president of the NCVA, I would disagree that the photos are “inappropriate.” They are an accurate reflection of the harsh end-of-life faced by farm animals worldwide and the practices behind feeding the human population’s addiction to meat and animal products. Anyone who chooses to consume these things owes it to themselves and the animals they’re eating to acknowledge and face this reality, and newspapers play an important role in raising people’s consciousness about important issues.

The pig in this article was even from an ironically-labeled “happy meat farm;” it’s possibly worse for the 95 per cent of “food animals” who are raised in factory farms. As the pictorial clearly demonstrates, there’s nothing happy about the transition between being a living and breathing creature and becoming meat on a plate.

Many vegetarians and vegans choose to eschew consuming animals for several reasons, including health benefits, to lighten the load on our fragile environment, and to spare animals such as the pig in the Citizen pictorial. There’s never been a better time to explore a plant-based lifestyle; Ottawa has a multitude of stores, services and restaurants that support it, and more people are moving in this direction than ever before.

The NCVA invites Ms. Laurendreau, and anyone troubled by the pictorial, to learn more about the vegan lifestyle and to visit its website, http://www.ncva.ca.

Josh Flower
President
NCVA

NCVA is revving up for Capital Pride

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Pride 2010 - NCVA

Capital Pride in Ottawa is over 1 month away (Aug. 28, 2011) and the NCVA is not dallying when it comes to ensuring its participation! Capital Pride is an excellent opportunity to get out, show your pride, enjoy your city, and most of all support the LGBTQ community of Ottawa.

Ever feel like marching in a parade??

In the upcoming weeks, more information will come available on how YOU can participate as a volunteer or proud veg*n at Capital Pride this year. For sure, the NCVA will have a booth at the Info Fair to promote the association, educate the public on the benefits of a plant-based diet, and expose the resources and welcoming vegetarian community in the national capital region. Of course, just like last year, we will also be marching in the Parade and we want you to join us!

Stay tuned for more information on costumes, pre-parties, related Facebook event, T-shirts, and sign-up info for volunteer opportunities!

If you have any ideas, questions, or would just like to let us know now how pumped you are for Pride, you can email the NCVA (ncva (dot) avcn (at) gmail (dot) com), or better yet, come out to the next café/pub night taking place next Thursday evening, hosted by… me! (I’m also organizing our Pride participation.) Info for the café/pub night here.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/6313597131

Sausage Threatens Vegan Pizza Party

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I’d like to thank everyone on behalf of the NCVA for coming out to last Tuesday’s “pizza party” meetup at La Dolce Vita. 

I think we were just shy of twenty people – about evenly divided between old friends and newcomers.

Neil and I had the pleasure of sitting beside Katie Gibbs and her partner, Dave Bagler. Dave is probably the funniest person I have ever met and, with Neil’s permission, I have declared him my new best friend.

He’s also the Ontario Green Party’s Candidate for Ottawa-Vanier…I’d almost consider moving there just so I could vote for him if the area weren’t so riddled with crime and heavy metal contamination (Now don’t go freaking out over that comment Vanierians…resorting to violence will only entrench the stereotype, haw haw).

But where was I?  Oh yes, pizza party…

The ravenous crowd went through four bags of Daiya and untold packages of Yves veggie pepperoni, which were brought in specially for our event. The general consensus was that the pizza was exceptional. Mine certainly was – I got the “Toscana” with olives and artichokes.

My Toscana
Random Za

Homemade cupcakes were provided for dessert. The tiramisu ones were chosen to reflect the Italian theme of the evening. The black forest ones were mainly backup to appease that small but vociferous portion of the population that objects to food soaked in booze (??).

There was one drawback to the evening. It involved Neil and his calzone, from which greyish chunks of sausage tumbled mid-meal. Neil handled the situation calmly, and the wait staff were very apologetic. And the mishap actually had the benefit of reaffirming Katie and Dave’s previously bitterly lamented decision to order pizza instead of calzones.

Fake pepperoni on top, but real sausage lurking inside...ew

So, gross as it was, the sausage by no means spoiled the evening. I wouldn’t even have mentioned it but for the valuable lesson the tale holds for all vegans: always be very specific when placing an order in a non-vegan restaurant and don’t be afraid to write the chef a note. Our sausage mishap was apparently the result of the chef thinking Neil wanted veggie pepperoni “in addition to” rather than “instead of” sausage in his calzone.

So thanks again to everyone for coming out ad for being so forgiving of the fact that I forgot all of the dates of our future events. And a big bravo to all the subsequent friend-making that occurred on facebook! After all, meeting like-minded people is what these events are about 🙂

Forks Over Knives in Ottawa- June 17-20

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Ultimate Fighter Champion Mac Danzig is featured in Forks Over Knives.

Forks Over Knives is a new documentary that’s getting a lot of buzz, and it’s playing in Ottawa at the Bytowne Cinema from June 17 to 20.

It looks at how the standard North American diet is making people sick, and how a shift to plant-based foods can reverse and control illness.

Here’s the description:

What has happened to us? Despite the most advanced medical technology in the world, we are sicker than ever by nearly every measure.

Two out of every three of us are overweight. Cases of diabetes are exploding, especially amongst our younger population. About half of us are taking at least one prescription drug. Major medical operations have become routine, helping to drive health care costs to astronomical levels. Heart disease, cancer and stroke are the country’s three leading causes of death, even though billions are spent each year to ”battle” these very conditions. Millions suffer from a host of other degenerative diseases.

FORKS OVER KNIVES examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the so-called ”diseases of affluence” that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.

Another review:

http://www.vancouvermovies.ca/movie/quebec/greater-ottawa/greater-ottawa-theatres/forks-over-knives/26989/

Passes for two to the show are in the mail for five winners of the NCVA membership incentive draw, selected randomly from all the members who joined at Veg Fest: Carole Laurila, Claire Arsenault, Lina Galipeau, Barry Randall and Albert Legault.

Recent social hullabaloo at the NCVA

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Don’t you just love that word… hullabaloo? It sounds like an exotic vegan dish that creates a lot of fuss. I’m into it, as I’m sure were the attendees at the past pub night at the Arrow & Loon in the Glebe (Thurs. May 12) and the NCVA monthly potluck (Sat. May 14), an event to say farewell to the Jack Purcell Community Centre location. While, truth be told, we had a slightly smaller turnout at both events compared to previous similar events, the atmosphere was pleasantly intimate and conversation was overflowing. Indeed, the pub night peeps conversed passionately about interesting issues relevant to themselves, their lives, and particularly vegetarianism and animal rights. Similar interesting tidbits of conversation were snatched up by my prying ears at the potluck dinner. Among the diners were familiar and new faces, and the food at the event was excellent (although that goes without saying). What a great way to share a hearty vegan meal with friends for only $1 for members (and $3 for the rest of ya)! In my NCVA-induced reverie, I foolishly neglected to snap any photos at either event and in consequence, I have nothing to show of it, except my word that good times were had. Anyway, no one uses the word hullabaloo without meaning it.

See you at the next one?

The NCVA to Participate in Next Weekend’s Great Glebe Garage Sale

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Photo by Mike Gifford
The National Capital Vegetarian Association is proud to announce that we will be participating in the Great Glebe Garage Sale on May 28, 2011 from 9am – 3pm.

The NCVA will be hosting a yard sale/vegan bake sale to support Project Jessie and the Ottawa Food Bank.

75% of proceeds will be donated to Project Jessie, which works to protect companion animals that must be legally surrendered to research facilities after 72 hours in a shelter in Ontario.

25% will be used to purchase and donate healthy vegan food items to the Ottawa Food Bank. Items that can’t be sold will be donated to local non-profit thrift stores.

The NCVA’s tables will be set up east of Bank St., either on 5th Avenue or Clarey Avenue. An an annoucement of the final location will follow in a day or two.

We welcome ALL donations though, for obvious reasons, we won’t be able to sell things like fur coats. We have no strict definition of what is and is not appropriate for an NCVA sponsored yard sale – just use your own best judgement when deciding what to donate.

Note that all baked goods must be vegan (i.e. free of all animal products including meat, eggs, dairy and honey). If possible, please provide an ingredient list with your baked goods.

Photo by Neil Harvey

DROP OFF DATES FOR DONATIONS:

Please bring baked goods and yard sale donations to 38 Clarey Ave (see directions below) on Thursday May 26 or Friday May 27 between 6 and 10pm. You can also bring your donations right to the sale site on Saturday, May 28 between 8 and 11 am.

If you can’t make one of these drop off dates please email us at NCVAyardsale@yahoo.ca and we can try to arrange another pick-up or drop-off time.

DIRECTIONS TO DROP-OFF LOCATION:

Note that Bank Street in the Glebe (Isabella to Holwood) will be closed from May 24-Dec 30. You can access Clarey Ave by turning right on Holmwood as you head North on Bank Street from Ottawa South. Once you turn on Holmwood, make an immediate left into the dirt road and drive straight for approximately 50 meters until you reach Clarey. Turn right on Clarey. Number 38 will be halfway down the block on your right (the house with the big tree).

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We will be pricing donations and making signs for the sale from 6-10 pm on both Thursday and Friday (may 26-27) at 38 Clarey Avenue during the donation drop-off. We’ll also need volunteers on Saturday from 7am-4pm to set up, take down, and run the sale. If you can come for even part of the time, that would great.

Also, if you have a truck and are willing to pick up donations anytime, please let us know!

Please spread the word among your family and friends and feel free to email us with any questions or for directions to the drop-off location.

THANK YOU in advance for your generosity!

Veg Fest draws nearly 3,000 people- What a day!

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It’s difficult to describe the amazing energy that characterized Ottawa Veg Fest ’11, held yesterday at the Glebe Community Centre.  It’s not just that nearly 3,000 people ascended on this beautiful facility, breaking our previous attendance record by about 800 people, although that alone is remarkable. The vibe was, in the words of one exhibitor, “Joyful.”

“It was a marvelous day filled with excitement. I am very happy to be part of such an amazing people who organized this years’ Veg Fest,” says Nadia Walcott, one of the NCVA’s extraordinary volunteers who single-handedly organized the silent auction. “The energy throughout the event was fantastic. It was a delight seeing so many people out to support the NCVA and Veg Fest and I look forward to helping organize next years event.”

You really need to see it for yourself, and if you weren’t able to make it (or if you’d like to relive the experience!), this video created by Henri-Pierre Thibault of ZoomFX is the next best thing.

Ottawa Veg Fest by ZoomFX

Feedback from exhibitors, volunteers, and visitors has been overwhelmingly positive. People are thrilled. The NCVA is thrilled. Veg Fest ’11 really knocked it out of the park.  One exhibitor said afterwards, “This was the single best tabling event I’ve ever been at.”

Click here to see what Ottawa Citizen food editor Ron Eade had to say about the event.

The NCVA added 90 new members to its ranks, and we still need to do the draw for the great membership incentive prizing. Hang tight, we’re still recovering!

Stay tuned for more blog posts and photos about Veg Fest in the coming days. As Veg Fest is entirely volunteer organized, we’re all a bit exhausted; deliriously happy, but exhausted. But in the meantime I’ll share some images from the event below.

 

The NCVA's mascots!
Crowd!
Even babies love Veg Fest! Odin volunteers with mom Laila (right) and Pamela, the NCVA's communications director.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson proclaimed May 1 "Veg Fest Day in Ottawa." He is pictured with NCVA volunteers, and NCVA president Josh Flower.
NCVA table volunteers Wayne, Edelweiss, and David. We had 90 people join the NCVA at Veg Fest- a record!
NCVA Vegan Cupcake Challenge co-organizer Shaun Desjardins shows off one of the submissions.

More reasons to become a NCVA member at Veg Fest

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If the NCVA’s work in the community (Veg Fest, the restaurant outreach program, community outreach, events etc.) or its vast array of hard earned member discounts aren’t reason enough to shell out $20 to become a NCVA member, at Veg Fest there will be an added incentive.

Who wouldn't want to join this group?

Anyone who becomes a member or renews their membership at the event will be entered into a draw with a chance to win one of several prizes including tickets to see Forks Over Knives when it comes to Ottawa in June, several $20 gift certificates from Cafe My House, and a number of books and other media.

If you joined at last year’s event (May 31) and are concerned about renewing early, fear not. All renewals made at Veg Fest will run until June 1, 2012. So you’ll still get a full year of great discounts… and of course you’ll be supporting the NCVA’s work in the community both promoting plant-based lifestyles to the general public, and making life easier for those who wish to consume plant-based food.

The NCVA is so thankful for the contributions of all members, because without their support the NCVA would truly be unable to do the work that it does. When you consider that as an organization the NCVA is 100 per cent volunteer-run, and is less than five-years-old, its accomplishments are quite remarkable.

Join the NCVA and support Ottawa’s veg revolution!