Who are we?

The Bangladesh Canada Association of Ottawa Valley (BACAOV) is a not-for-profit organization based in Canada’s National Capital Region. Originally formed in April 1971, BACAOV originated as a response to Bangladesh’s struggle for independence.
A small group of Bangladeshis living in Ottawa mobilized to raise awareness about the atrocities committed by Pakistan in Bangladesh. Through protests, fundraising campaigns, and advocacy efforts, they urged the Canadian government to support Bangladesh’s independence movement.
Today, BACAOV continues to build on its legacy by promoting Bangladeshi culture, heritage, and community engagement in the Ottawa region.

Objectives

The objectives of the Association shall be:

(a)  To contribute to the multicultural diverse mosaic of Canada.

(b)  To promote and to organize literary, cultural, social and recreational activities of the Bangladeshi and Canadian communities.

(c)  To build a Bangladeshi Canadian Community Center “Acquire, construct, maintain and equip a community center building and related infrastructure, which may contain among other facilities, a banquet hall, auditorium, reception , meeting room , senior support facilities, gymnasium” to uphold secular integrity and Bengali nationalism,

(e)  To build community support systems to respond to the needs of the people within the community.

(d)  To respond to needs arising out of natural calamities in Bangladesh as well as in other places of the world whenever such need arises.

(e)  To provide a forum for discussion on national and international issues of concern and interest.

(e)  To nurture Bangladeshi identity in Ottawa.