Category: News & Events

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Support Sit With Me Shelter Dog Rescue and learn how to cook a vegan meal. By the end of the class, you’ll enjoy a prepared meal and take home a recipe book of all the delicious foods you learned to make that day. The course will include an appetizer, soup, main course, dessert and a snack!

All cooking skills and tastes are welcome to participate! The instructors will go through each step of each recipe.

*Please note that this is not a hands-on cooking course. The instructors will be up front explaining the steps and cooking and participants will watch and ask questions. Volunteers can help out when required.

When: Sunday, November 9, 2014 at 3:00pm
Where: Beaver Barracks at 464 Metcalfe St.

**The tickets are sold out.**

If you’re on Facebook, click Join on the event page to get notified when the organizers make announcements or answer questions.

The NCVA is co-hosting a documentary about a program run by Dr. Gabriel Cousens to help people with diabetes get off insulin.

Organizers Melanie and Paul are looking for volunteers who can (a) help prepare some raw snacks and (b) a photographer to take pictures of the event.

Set-up for the event is at 9am on Saturday July 19th. If you are able to volunteer, please contact Melanie at info@maitlandmassage.ca or leave a message at 613-722-6423. The event takes place at MEC, 366 Richmond Road in the community room (upstairs).

For anyone who would like to see the film, they can RSVP their ticket here: http://simplyraw.bravenewtheaters.com/screening/show/14666-ottawa

Diabetics and their relatives/friends are especially welcome to attend. Seating is limited to 40.

This giveaway is now closed – thank you to everyone who entered it!

ZenKitchen has been a long-time friend and supporter to the NCVA for more than five years.  From the moment it opened its doors, ZenKitchen offered an NCVA member discount (10%), sponsored several Veg Fests, and has hosted us on a number of special occasions (anyone remember the special NCVA pub night a couple of years ago?)

Not only that, ZenKitchen has been lending credibility to our message that vegan food can be just as tasty as even the most “gourmet” omnivorous food. It has changed the hearts and minds of countless people in the Ottawa region, making our job a little bit easier.

So we were pretty bummed out when we learned of ZenKitchen’s sudden closing just over a week ago. It’s not just upsetting from a vegan options point of view; it was also sad to hear about the struggles of our longtime comrade David Loan.  If only we could have helped, we thought.

Now with the fundraiser that’s being held, Great Chefs Go Vegan, we can!  The NCVA has purchased two tickets for the June 10 event, and will give a set of them away to one lucky NCVA member who enters this giveaway.  (You can buy event tickets here.)

Here’s the event description:

Enjoy gourmet vegan street food from a number of Ottawa Chefs, including Tarak Hassan (Gungfu Bao), Dave Kwan (Shanghai) and others. Live jazz, silent auction, and more!

Proceeds from the event will go to help ZenKitchen recover from recent financial issues and reopen for the public’s enjoyment.

To enter:  If you’ve been to ZenKitchen, tell us here on the blog the best memory that you have from being there. If you have not been there, check out their brunch, lunch or dinner menu and tell us what you’ll have when you finally go!

 

Details: Giveaway is open to Ottawa-area NCVA members, excluding those in Quebec. We’re using the honour system here, but reserve the right to confirm your membership status. If you aren’t a member, you can easily become one. (Participating on our Facebook page does not equal membership.)  If you’re not sure if you’re a member, email ncvamemberships@gmail.com.  One random winner will win two tickets to the ZenKitchen fundraiser event to be held on June 10, 2014, valued at $214, to be provided at the door.  Giveaway closes on Tuesday, June 3 at 11:59 PM EST.  One entry per person. Winner will be chosen by random number generator.

The NCVA cannot be held responsible for the winner’s enjoyment at the event, nor can this prize be exchanged for anything else, regardless of circumstances. If you win, please do not try to get a refund on your ticket if you’ve already purchased one – that is counterproductive to the fundraising effort. Consider this a bonus and bring some friends.

It’s on! The NCVA will hold a fundraiser in support of Esther the Wonder Pig. She’s the 6-pound mini pig turned 500-pound meat pig whose two dads went vegan and are now trying to build her a farm sanctuary.

The fundraiser will take place at the Great Glebe Garage sale on Saturday, May 24th. We’ll be selling baked goods and used items on Glebe Avenue, somewhere between Percy and Bronson.

The slew of enthusiastic thumbs up that this fundraiser idea got a few days ago has lead me to believe that we’ll have volunteers aplenty. Right?

I’ve created a special volunteer sign-up thing here. Check out the list below of things we need, then head over and sign up!

1) Bakers: Any vegan baked goods will do, especially anything pig-themed. Think pink-frosted cupcakes with pig faces on. Or tofurky pigs-in-a-blanket. Or pig-shaped cookies. Or faux ham and cheese biscuits. Or maple-facon cupcakes.  Hopefully you can drop them off, but I’m also looking for a volunteer picker-upper.

I also need someone to make pink lemonade and coffee and bring it to the sale.

2) Garage sale donations: Pretty much everything is welcome. Though for obvious reasons, we won’t sell animal products like fur, leather, etc. Again, hopes are you can drop them off.

3) Picker-upper: Someone who will pick up baked goods and used items from people who can’t drop them off.

4) Set-up and tear down.

5) Sales: People to “man” the tables, selling treats and/or garage sale stuff. I’m hoping to have a lot of person power so someone can be on hand to just talk to people about Esther, veganism, etc.

6) Signs and decorations: I’m thinking a big poster of Esther with a synopsis of her “story” plus some leaflets about Esther and her indiegogo campaign. What else…? A sign saying “Ask me about Esther the Wonder Pig”? Pink tablecloths? Pink balloons? I’m not particularly artistic, so I’ll happily defer to whoever volunteers for this task. And it’s an important one. The sale might make $1000 or so, but a single generous donor – enlightened by our leaflet and charmed by our piggy decor – could beat that with the click of a mouse button.

So please head over to the volunteer sign up page and pick your task.

And if you’ve got suggestions for how to make the fundraiser better, do share. I’m throwing this event together at the speed of light because of time constraints, but your input is more than welcome.

 

 

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Many of you have already heard the story of Esther the Wonder Pig. Here’s the upshot: Steve brought home what he thought was a 6-month old “micro-pig” named Esther. She turned out to be a 6-week old meat pig who, a year and a half later, is 500 pounds.

Esther found internet fame when Steve and his partner Derek created a facebook page for her. She’s been featured in news stories around the globe, and has apparently inspired lots of folks to go vegan – including Derek and Steve, of course!

Now Esther’s dads are looking to open a farm animal sanctuary, with Esther as the star. It will be a full-on pro-vegan extravaganza, complete with humane education programming, a community garden and vegan cooking classes. While Canada has lots of top-notch sanctuaries, this is the first one I know of that will make vegan outreach part of its core daily activities (kind of like Farm Sanctuary, Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, and Catskill Animal Sanctuary in the States).

Derek and Steve have started an Indiegogo campaign to try to buy this dream farm near Toronto. One of my reasons for doing this post is to encourage you to donate. Like now. Off you go, I’ll wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’re back? Excellent.

So my other reason for doing this post is to suggest the NCVA hold a fundraiser. I was thinking of calling it “The Great Canadian Pig-Out” or something like that. The idea is we’d set up a table in a reasonably high-traffic area and give away samples of foods made with alternatives to pork (I’d bring my vegan saurkraut and sausage and vegan tourtiere to start!). We’d publicize Esther’s story and encourage people to donate, hand out the samples, and also sell baked goods to raise money for the Indiegogo campaign.

So what do we all think? Are you with me? Like really with me? Like with me in the sense that you’ll make baked goods and/or stand at the table for several hours on a weekend in early June? If yes, contact me ASAP at ncva.events at gmail dot com, and we’ll get planning!

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It is with regret that we must announce that after five successful years, Ottawa Veg Fest is indefinitely postponed.  It is our hope that it will be revived for 2015, but the event faces several obstacles.

Veg Fest was founded and organized for four years (2009-2012) primarily by two key volunteers who are no longer able to continue to devote the tremendous amount of time and energy that’s required. It was revived in 2013 by another set of organizers who expanded the event.

However, the new organizers were unable to secure a suitable venue at which to hold Veg Fest in 2014. The Saint Paul University venue (2014) is not available for the next few years due to construction on Main Street, and other venues are already booked solid.  That brings the organizers back to the drawing board where venue is concerned.

Identifying a new venue is easier said than done.  Issues include location, suitability (i.e. capacity to have speakers, vendors etc.), price, availability, size, and food service contracts that do not permit Veg Fest vendors to sell food. All venues that were considered have at least one of these obstacles, if not several.

Another issue is our understanding of a city requirement that each food vendor purchase a nearly $200 food sales permit for the event. This was not enforced for years 1-4, and we were able to secure sponsorship from the Main Farmer’s Market for year 5 which negated the need for vendors to purchase this permit.

It is our hope that successful Veg Fests will occur in the future, but it is not realistic that these obstacles will be overcome for 2014. The National Capital Vegetarian Association hopes to continue its outreach efforts with smaller scale events such as the We Animals book signing at the Ottawa Humane Society. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at ncva.avcn@gmail.com if you’re interested in getting involved as part of the NCVA’s Veg Fest 2015 organizing committee, or for other NCVA initiatives.

We are grateful to everyone for his or her support of Veg Fest over the past five years.

NCVA

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The National Capital Vegetarian Association will be holding its fifth Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday, March 26 at 7 p.m. It will take place at 530 Laurier St. West (Condo building) in the Party Room (use buzz code 400 when arriving to gain entrance). We will review the achievements we’ve made since the last AGM and look towards the future of the NCVA.

All people who have purchased NCVA memberships between March 27, 2013 and March 26, 2014 are entitled to attend and to vote in the AGM. If you are uncertain as to your eligibility, please email our membership coordinator at ncvamemberships@gmail.com. You may still become a member between now and March 26 and attend the AGM.

As per our bylaws, there will be an election of the board of directors and nominations are currently being accepted. Nominations must be received by 11:59 p.m., March 24. Only NCVA members in good standing may be nominated or make a nomination. You may not nominate yourself. There are at least five director positions open, all of which are one-year terms.

It is strongly preferred that only those who have experience volunteering with the NCVA be nominated for board positions.

Nominations must be submitted in writing and signed by the nominee and the nominator and mailed to:

NCVA, National Capital Vegetarian Association
236 Bayswater Ave., Ottawa, ON, K1Y 2G7.

It would be very helpful if you RSVP’d your attendance to ncvasecretary@gmail.com, as we need a certain number of attendees to make quorum.

Thank you for supporting the NCVA’s efforts to make Ottawa a more veg-friendly place.

What: Book Launch for Jo-Anne McArthur’s recently published book, We Animals
Where: The Ottawa Humane Society, 245 West Hunt Club Road
When: February 27, 2014, 7pm – 9pm
Cost: $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Proceeds to the animals in the care of the Ottawa Humane Society.

** Advance ticket sales are now closed. **

The National Capital Vegetarian Association is thrilled to announce our inaugural collaboration with the Ottawa Humane Society.

On February 27th, 2014, we’ll host a book launch for Jo-Anne McArthur’s recently released book, We Animals. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the OHS.

A professional photographer for more than a decade, Jo-Anne has traveled the world documenting the plight of animals. From the bear-bile farms of China, to the bullfighting rings of Spain, to an Ape Sanctuary in Cameroon, to a farm animal sanctuary in upstate New York, Jo-Anne has used her photographic skills to explore the complicated, conflicted, tragic and beautiful relationships between human and non-human animals.

Jo-Anne is also the subject of The Ghosts in Our Machine, which has received international acclaim since its premiere at last summer’s Hot Docs festival in Toronto. Her book, We Animals, has received accolades from the likes of renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, and National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence, Wade Davis. The latter declares that “If ever there was a document that might cause human beings to reconsider our entire relationship to the animal world this hauntingly beautiful book is it.”

The evening will begin with an array of vegan refreshments, courtesy of the NCVA. Jo-Anne will take the stage at about 7:30, where she’ll read select passages from her book and share some of her adventures photographing animals around the globe. From 8 until 9, Jo-Anne will be available to sign books and chat with guests. And, of course, there will be more food! We’ll round out the night by presenting the OHS with a cheque for all funds raised through ticket sales.

Tickets can be purchased online for $10 until February 26th. There will also be tickets available at the door on a first-come-first-served basis for $15.

We hope to see you there!

 

A few weeks ago, I invited everyone to a pre-AGM strategic planning session.

It’s now been scheduled for Monday, February 3rd at 7 pm. The address is on the facebook event. You can email satelliterobot@hotmail.com for the address if you’re not on facebook.

We’ll be talking about our goals as an organization, and what we do to achieve them.

Some examples:

Should we focus more on outreach to non-vegans, or on supporting the existing vegan community?

Should we hold more events? Fewer? Different kinds?

Should we focus more on outreach to businesses, getting more discounts, etc.?

Are people still keen on VegFest? Is it good as-is or does it need an overhaul?

How can we get more people interested in volunteering?

We’ll also be looking at the results of our survey (which is available in French or in English if you still haven’t filled it out).

At this point, we’re only expecting the people who said they were coming via the Doodle Poll we set up, so if you haven’t signed up there and do still want to come, please sign up.

Thanks for you interest in making your NCVA the best it can be!

 

Before our Annual General Meeting (which is fast approaching – announcement coming soon), we want to hold a strategic planning session.

Basically, we want to talk about our goals as an organization, and what we do to achieve them.

Some examples:

Should we focus more on outreach to non-vegans, or on supporting the existing vegan community?

Should we hold more events? Fewer? Different kinds?

Should we focus more on outreach to businesses, getting more discounts, etc.?

Are people still keen on VegFest? Is it good as-is or does it need an overhaul?

How can we get more people interested in volunteering?

If you’d like to offer your opinion on the NCVA’s goals and activities, please fill out this survey, either in French or in English. Please fill it out before January 24th, 2014 – that way we can analyse the data before the strategic planning session.

The strategic planning session itself will be held on a weeknight between January 27th and February 7th. It will be somewhere central, but we can’t say for sure yet since it will depend on how many people want to come. If you wish to attend, fill out this Doodle Poll to let us know what nights you can and can’t make it. If you can’t make any of the proposed dates but are really keen to come, comment on this post and we’ll see about alternate dates.

Thanks for you interest in making your NCVA the best it can be!