BIA News & Updates
Annual General Meeting on February 6th
The Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 6th, at 6:00 pm. 

This year we will be hosted by St. Anthony's Banquet Hall. Please plan to join your fellow BIA Members to have a look back at 2017, and learn what we have planned for 2018. 

Watch for your invitation in the mail!
NEW EVENT
DiscoSkate, DJ Skate Nights, February 9th-10th at Plouffe Park rinks
The Preston Street BIA is pleased to provide a new reason to "meet me on Preston Street". DiscoSkate DJ Skate Nights is a disco skating party for the whole family. The ultimate Instagrammable winter wonderland, the disco rink includes much more than ice skating. Hosted at Plouffe Park, adjacent to the Plant Recreation Centre at the corner of Somerset and Preston Streets, DiscoSkate will be a wonderful complement to Winterlude festivities taking place at nearby Dow's Lake and other venues throughout the city. The event runs over two evenings, February 9th and 10th from 7pm to 11pm.

DiscoSkate features a DJ, disco lights, projection art, giant tree of light, interactive light tunnel, photo booth and fire poi entertainers. There will be a hay bale seating area for non-skaters or those wishing to take a break. The Plouffe Park Recreation Association offers a limited number of free skates for children and youth.

After the success of our first outdoor night time event late last year, we knew we wanted to offer another opportunity for people to gather together for a fresh air experience. We welcomed thousands of visitors to Night Lights in November and think that February is the perfect time to create a new outdoor event. Being scheduled during Winterlude, the DiscoSkate disco rink will be ideal for locals and tourists alike. This event was conceived, designed and produced by Dems & Doll, the local artists who created Night Lights and many other works in the Ottawa area.


Admission is free but voluntary donations of new, warm socks are encouraged, to support the  Socks for the Homeless project that will deliver the donated socks to the  Ottawa Mission.

Visitors are encouraged to dress in disco costume, with layers underneath that are appropriate for the weather at this outdoor event. Accessorize in any way you choose, be it with glow sticks, disco-themed jewellery or glow in the dark accents.

For the last few years, we've been encouraging people to "meet me on Preston Street" and with this event, we feel we are providing another great reason to do so. Little Italy is central to so many great outdoor venues from skating on the canal or municipal rinks, to cross-country skiing along the Trillium pathway, to snow-shoeing and winter cycling. We are working to raise awareness of the "and a..." part of the Preston Street experience. Dinner and a comedy show. Hot cocoa, Italian pastry and a skate. Snowshoeing and an espresso and biscotti. A day hike and a delicious lunch. Dinner and a night at the DiscoSkate rink.

This will be featured in the Calendar for February... the Posters will be distributed to the businesses next week. 

Please be sure to tell your staff about this new event!
"Meet Me on Preston" Events Calendar gives you free listings of events and promotions at your business












Our January events print calendar is out!

Did you know that as a BIA Member you can put your events on the monthly calendar?

This is your tool to promote your business and attract customers. All you need do is come up with a great promotion, and we'll get it up in the calendar. 

Start thinking about promotions you might want to do in the month of March. Deadline for the print version of the March calendar is February 13th.

We can add events to the web calendar throughout the month so be sure to make us aware of any special event or promotion you are having. We will also use that information to expand your advertising reach through the BIA social media channels.

If you have an event that you would like listed on the website, please email prestonbiainfo@gmail.com.
Italian Festival Father's Day Weekend will have Ferrari on Sunday this year!
Ottawa Ferrari Festival will be extending the Ferrari display into Sunday this year. Surveys done have shown that the biggest attractions for Italian Festival are the Ferrari, and Italian Car events. By investing in extending the Ferrari presence on the street, we are looking to increase attendance on Sunday.


Carnevale dei Bambini is coming February 25th!












The Annual Carnevale dei Bambini is a traditional Italian event presented by the Associazioni Italo-Canadesi Unite d'Ottawa with the support of the Embassy of Italy, Ottawa.

This year it will be held at St. Anthony's soccer Club on February 25th from 2:00 - 6:00 pm. This event is suitable for kids from 0 to 12 years and whole family fun. Featuring Ray's reptiles, face painting, and balloon twister.

Gifts and surprises for kids from 0-12 years in recognition of the best costume. Admission is  $10.00 for adults.  FREE for Kids

For more information and tickets contact
Giuseppe Pasian @ 613-232-2187 or
Carla Minoli-Lappa@ 613-521- 4291.

Follow them on Facebook !
Member News & Updates
St. Anthony's Church Annual Family Fundraising Dinner on February 10th
St. Anthony's Church will be holding their annual fundraising dinner on Saturday, February 10th from 5:00pm - 1:00am at St. Anthony's Soccer Club. 

If interested, please contact Barbara Rizzi at the Church Office at 613-236-2304


Valentine's Day Cooking Class on February 12th
Valentine's Day Cooking Class
DiVino Wine Studio, 225 Preston St.

Looking for a way to impress your special someone? Come out to DiVino Wine Studio on February 12th to learn how to make the perfect Valentine's day meal. Join owner and cooking aficionado Eric Diotte in this hands-on cooking class!

For more information and reservations call 613-221-9760 ext. 21 or email: betty@divinowinestudio.com









Say it with dinner this Valentine's Day 












Special Dinner Menu
Mena Restaurant, 276 Preston Street

With an aphrodisiac filled menu in tow, Chef Bratsberg invites you to spend the most romantic night of the year at MeNa. Smooth and sultry wines will be available to perfectly 
compliment every bite.

Book ahead and table is yours for the evening.

7 course $120 pp + tax & gratuity
9 course $145 pp + tax & gratuity
Other News
CRA Webinar: Answers to your small business deduction questions












The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is pleased to host a free, four-part webinar series answering your payroll questions and helping you meet your deducting, remitting, and reporting requirements.

The upcoming webinar in the series is for employers who have questions on the small business deduction. In this webinar, we will answer questions we received through our payroll webinar web form between August 7 and September 1, 2017.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

English: Quebec and Ontario at 1:00 pm, Maritimes at 2:00 pm, Newfoundland and Labrador at 2:30 pm, Prairies at 12:00 pm, Alberta at 11:00 am, British Columbia at 10:00 am. Register Now.

French: Quebec and Ontario at 10:00 am, Maritimes at 11:00 am, Newfoundland and Labrador at 11:30 am, Prairies at 9:00 am, Alberta at 8:00 am, British Columbia at 7:00 am. Register Now.
Join us to promote the 2018 Canadian Entrepreneurship Census from Stats Can
Every year, Startup Canada , the national rallying community and voice for Canada's entrepreneurs, shares a Canadian Entrepreneurship Census to learn about the entrepreneurship community and share how Canada can better support entrepreneurs to start-up, find customers, make sales, and grow stronger companies.

We invite you to read the 2017 report here . We will be sharing the 2018 findings with you in early February, but in the meantime we would appreciate your support to promote this survey among entrepreneurs in your network. Please find below pre-drafted promotional copy that can easily be copied into your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram pages! I've also attached a photo that can go along with your posts.

Thank you for being an important partner to raise the bar for entrepreneurship in Canada! 

If you have any questions at all, you can reach me at 613-627-0787 ext. 106.

Kathryn Forrest
Startup Canada, Events Lead
P. 613-627-0787 x106 | T. 1-844-START-01

Nominations are now open for the 2018 Leading Women/Leading Girls, Building Communities Recognition Awards!












What better way to start the New Year than to announce nominations are now open for the 2018 Leading Women/Leading Girls, Building Communities Recognition Awards!

This award acknowledges and celebrates women and girls who demonstrate exceptional leadership in working to improve the lives of others in their communities.  Read more

English Nomination Form
Sincerely,

Yasir Naqvi, MPP
Ottawa Centre
British Columbia at 7:00 am. 
Planning Advisory Committee Members sought
As involved community members who already give their time serving, you know well the benefits and rewards that your community service offers. The attached announcement provides information on how to apply for public member positions on the newly established Planning Advisory Committee. Please have a look and feel free to pass on to any community member.

For ease of reference, the link to the website and the contact person's information from the announcement is included below:

For more information: Visit ottawa.ca/volunteer or contact Eric Pelot at 613-580-2424, ext. 22953, (TTY: 613-580-2401) or by email at  committees@ottawa.ca.


Thank you for your attention to this opportunity,

Dan Garvey
Program Manager/  Planning Operations Branch/  Planning Services
Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department
613-580-2424 ext. 13513

Upcoming Event: Urban Forum on January 17th

The Rise of On-line Shopping and the Future of Brick and Mortar Retailing

Wednesday, January 17, 2018 @ 7:00pm

Where: Champlain Room, Ottawa City Hall, Heritage Building, Second Floor,  110 Laurier Ave. West

On-line shopping:  it's easy, convenient, and there are great deals to be had!  But do we really understand the potential impacts of this emerging reality? What are the challenges and opportunities faced by the brick and mortar retail industry? What will be the implications for the social fabric and the built environment of the cities?

Join Professor Ian Lee and a panel of experts for a discussion about online shopping. Using local and international empirical data, Professor Lee will provide insights into how this paradigm shift is unfolding and where this is taking us, and lead our panelists us in brainstorming how we adapt to this.  Read more
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CONTACT
CONTACT US:

Lori Mellor
Executive Director
Preston Street Business Improvement Association
118 A Preston Street, K1R 7P2
613-231-2815



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