Community resources
Barrhaven BIA
The Barrhaven Business Improvement Area (BIA)↗ was established in 2006 as the voice for the local business community to help them flourish. By promoting our community as a premier business destination, lobbying for smart growth, and providing networking opportunities and other tools for success, the BIA creates optimum conditions for all Barrhaven businesses to succeed.
All businesses, property owners, and professional service providers in Barrhaven paying commercial property taxes belong to the BIA, and membership is automatic. Home-based businesses are eligible to join.
Community associations
Community associations are non-governmental organisations that represent the needs of residents in specific neighbourhoods. There are three community associations in Barrhaven East, all with varying degrees of activity, communication, and participation. Please reach out to the individual group to find out whose area you live in and to participate.
Other levels of government
Many services are the responsibility of the provincial and federal governments. Barrhaven East is wholly in the provincial and federal electoral districts (riding) of Nepean.
The provincial government, represented by MPP Lisa MacLeod↗, is responsible for education, health care, environmental protection, traffic regulations, social assistance, and housing funding, among others.
The federal government is represented by MP Chandra Arya↗. The federal government’s responsibilities include national defence, banking regulations, citizenship, immigration, criminal law and procedures, and the National Capital Commission↗, among others.
Ontario One Call
Ontario One Call↗ is a public safety administrative authority that acts as a communications link between buried infrastructure owners and individuals who are planning to dig in the province of Ontario. Residents planning to dig (including on private property) to build a fence, install an in-ground pool, plant a tree, etc., must contact Ontario One Call to have a free utility locate completed before any digging can begin.
Failure to have a locate completed before digging may result in charges and fines laid by one or more regulators, plus potential liability for damage to underground infrastructure.
Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA)↗ is a provincial organisation overseen by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. They develop and deliver local, watershed-based resource management on behalf of the province and municipalities, including flood and erosion control, drinking water source protection, surface and groundwater monitoring, and regulate development in areas like shorelines, floodplains, and wetlands.
Locally, the RVCA also provides services for the Ottawa Septic System Office↗, which reviews septic designs and plans, issues permits for new and replacement sewage systems, and ensures compliance with approvals. They also own and are responsible for the Chapman Mills Conservation Area↗.
School boards
School boards are bodies which operate Ontario’s publicly-funded schools. Each school board is governed by a board of elected trustees. School board trustees are elected every four years on the same election cycle as the Mayor and City Council.
Which school your child attends typically depends on where you live, though special programming may take your child elsewhere. Please consult with your preferred school board.
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board↗ - Trustee Donna Blackburn↗
Ottawa Catholic School Board↗ - Trustee Spencer Warren↗
Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario↗ - Conseillère scolaire Samia Ouled Ali↗
Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est↗ - Conseiller scolaire Claude Lalonde↗
Help and crisis lines
The organisations listed below are fully independent and not affiliated with the City of Ottawa or the Councillor’s office. Each of them has a governing body, non-profit registration, and has services available for residents in Barrhaven. Please consult their respective websites for more information, including how to support them.
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Call or text: 2-1-1
Email: GetHelp@211ontario.ca
Web chat↗2-1-1 Ontario↗ is a free and confidential service that connects people to the critical social and community supports they need. They have a highly-trained and accredited staff of community navigators who assesses a person’s needs before providing them with referrals to connect them to the right supports.
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Call or text: 9-8-8
9-8-8↗ provides people experiencing suicide crises with immediate, 24/7 support over the phone or by text. Calls or texts to 9-8-8 are confidential.
No personally identifiable information will be disclosed or shared outside the 9-8-8 network, except as required or permitted by law, or when emergency intervention is needed to support the safety and well-being of the caller or texter, and/or the safety of others.
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Call: 613-722-6914 or 1-866-996-0991
Serving people 16 years of age or older, Crisis Line↗ is a free, 24/7 first point of access to the mental health crisis response system. Staffed by trained volunteers supported by professional staff, the service provides screening, assessment, referrals, crisis support, suicide intervention, and transfer to the local crisis team or to emergency services when advisable.
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Call: 613-238-3311
The Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region↗ provides suicide prevention, crisis intervention, psychological stabilisation, emotional support, information, and referral and education services, without judgement, to individuals in need.
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Call: 1-866-925-5454
Text: 686868
Web chat↗Good2Talk↗ provides free, confidential support services for post-secondary students in Ontario, including professional counselling, volunteer crisis support, and information and referrals about mental health services and supports on and off campus.
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Call: 1-855-242-3310
Web chat↗The Hope for Wellness Helpline↗ is available to all Indigenous people across Canada. Experienced and culturally competent counsellors are reachable by phone and online chat 24/7 in English and French. Service in Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut are also available on request at certain times.
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Call: 1-800-668-6868
Text: 686868
Web chat↗The Kids Help Phone↗ offers free, 24/7 support to youth under the age of 20 in English and French. Their website also provides youth with information about how thoughts, feelings and behaviours are connected and what can be done to care for their well-being.
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Call: 613-238-2762
Email: info@ovs-svo.comOttawa Victim Services↗ provides emotional and practical support to people who have been affected by crime or tragedy.
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Call: 613-260-2360
Web chat↗The Youth Services Bureau Crisis Line↗ is a 24/7 service for children and youth ages 17 and under who are experiencing a crisis. The service is also available to parents, guardians, caregivers, friends, or service providers who are concerned about a young person in crisis.
The Youth Services Bureau (YSB)↗ delivers a vast range of programmes and services supporting at-risk youth and their families in Ottawa and across Eastern Ontario.
Support and service organisations
The organisations listed below are fully independent and not affiliated with the City of Ottawa or the Councillor’s office. Each of them has a governing body, non-profit registration, and services available for residents in Barrhaven. Please consult their respective websites for more information, including how to support them.
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Call: 613-825-4505
Email: info@BarrhavenFoodCupboard.caThe Barrhaven Food Cupboard↗ provides food assistance to families and individuals in Barrhaven. As a volunteer-run grassroots organisation, they rely on the generosity of residents, businesses, and other organisations in the community to fulfill their mission.
Drop-off baskets are available at the front of every grocery store in Barrhaven, while one-time or regular financial donations are accepted through their website. You can find them at many local events!
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Call: 613-440-3620
The Barrhaven Seniors’ Council↗ provides social opportunities, special events, outings, and in-person and online classes and programming for local seniors. They also connect seniors to other important and relevant resources, are leading the effort to open a new facility for seniors as part of the future civic building in Barrhaven’s future downtown.
Activities are usually held at the community building at Ken Ross Park, at 700 Longfields Drive. Activity calendars are available for download on their website.
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Call: (613) 737-7791
Email: general@cmhaottawa.caThe Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)↗ provides services for eligible individuals in the Ottawa area with severe and persistent mental illness and/or substance use disorder, including those experiencing chronic homelessness or are vulnerably housed.
CMHA Ottawa also promotes good mental health, develops and implements sustainable support systems and services, and encourages public action to strengthen community mental health services and related policies and legislation.
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Call: 613-799-1148
Email: info@hazelwoodhouse.caHazelwood House↗ is a Barrhaven organisation whose mission is to enrich the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities. Founded by mother and daughter Deanna and Jordan Hazelwood, they operate a day programme with a low staff-to-participant ratio, which includes life and social skills, community involvement, and leisure and recreation.
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Call: 613-789-7418
Email: JHSottawa@ottawa.johnhoward.caNamed for a British social reformer who advocated for the improvement of prison conditions, the John Howard Society↗ provides services that aims to help prevent crime, reduce poverty and build self-sufficiency. They also have a records suspension support programme to help with navigating the parole system.
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Call: 613-596-5626
Email: info@nrocrc.orgLocated in the Emerald Plaza at 1547 Merivale Road, the Nepean Rideau Osgoode Community Resource Centre (NROCRC)↗ is a non-profit, charitable organisation which provides free services and programming for immigrants, new residents, youths, seniors, and other vulnerable residents. Services include, but are not limited to activity and conversation groups, counselling clinics, legal clinics, sports drop-ins, and volunteering opportunities.
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Call: 613-238-1513
Email: info@OttawaSafetyCouncil.caThe Ottawa Safety Council (OSC)↗ promotes and operates traffic safety education and initiatives for residents of Ottawa. Their services include motorcycle training courses, walking school buses, and several virtual resources, including car seat and road safety.
The OSC also partners with the City of Ottawa to provide crossing guards at hundreds of intersections across the city, including several in Barrhaven to help students navigate them safely during the morning and afternoon bell times. Click here↗ to learn more about the crossing guard programme or to become one!
Please note crossing guard locations are determined by an MTO-prescribed process managed by the City of Ottawa. To request an assessment at a location or to learn more about the process, send me an email at Wilson.Lo@ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1.
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Call: 613-321-3211
Pleo↗ is an Ottawa-based non-profit family peer support organisation for parents whose children up to age 25 are facing mental health challenges. Pleo's missionis to foster positive outcomes by providing family peer support and by amplifying the family voice for system change.
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Call: -613-843-8691
Email: info@rcl641.caThe Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit organisation supporting Canadian veterans, their families, and remembers the Canadians who served our country. Barrhaven Branch 641↗ is located at 3500 Fallowfield Road, by the railway tracks. Aside from the core mission of the Legion, the branch also supports many local causes.
Their hall can be rented out for various community events.
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Call: 613-729-0123
Email: info@SalusOttawa.orgSalus↗ supports adults with mental health, substance use health challenges, and behavioural addictions by creating opportunities for them to live independently by improving access to housing and a community of integrated support services.
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Email: info@SeatsForKids.ca
Data suggests 70 to 90 per cent of car seats are installed or used incorrectly. Seats for Kids↗ offers car seat inspection clinics, certification courses, and other relevant information sessions so parents and caregivers know how to install and use child car seats correctly and safely.
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Call: 613-288-2820
The South Nepean Community Health Centre (SNCHC)↗ is a satellite of the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, offering primary care and health promotion services and programming, including drop-in exercise, social programmes, and workshops or presentations on requested topics.
Located at 4010 Strandherd Drive (at Tartan), their services are targeted at priority populations like low incomes individuals and families, new Canadians, youths, and seniors.
Please note they are not a walk-in clinic—an appointment is required.
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Call: 613-591-3686
The Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre (WOCRC)↗ provides services like the NROCRC to communities like Kanata, Stittsville, and West Carleton. However, the WOCRC administers the City’s Snow Go↗ programme for Barrhaven residents.
The two programmes connect older adults and people with disabilities with individuals or contractors to help them clear snow from walkways and driveways at an affordable rate. It includes financial assistance for eligible applicants.
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Call: 613-729-1000
Email: info@ysb.caThe Youth Services Bureau (YSB)↗ delivers a vast range of programmes and services supporting at-risk youth and their families in Ottawa and across Eastern Ontario. Services are targeted at youth aged 13 to 24 and include crisis support, counselling, assessment, and support groups.
Additionally, the YSB offers employment services, drop-ins, youth advisory committees, and housing services.