Events
Upcoming Events
Moonlit Cross-Country Ski
February 12, 2025 – 7 PM start
Family Day Winter Carnival
February 16, 2025 – 1-4 PM
Past Events
Skate Shack Opening – January 18, 2025
The local volunteers have been working tirelessly this winter to keep the rink maintained, and now until the end of the season we will be aiming to have at least 20 hours a week with the (supervised) change shack open and operational.
Transforming My Yard: How the Rain Ready Program is Helping Protect Our Community
Rachelle Thibodeau, Environment Committee
A few years ago, when I moved to Orleans, I was immediately drawn to the natural beauty of the area, especially the mature trees in our backyard and the river just a short walk away. But when I looked at my front lawn, I realized it wasn’t doing much to absorb rainwater. Like many homes in older neighborhoods, it was mostly grass, offering little biodiversity or stormwater management.
Ottawa Riverkeeper’s Road Salt Reduction Week – January 27 – 31, 2025
Road salt overuse is polluting our streams and harming aquatic ecosystems, but together we can make a difference. This Road Salt Reduction Week, sign Ottawa Riverkeeper’s Road Salt Reduction Pledge and commit to reducing your salt use: ottawariverkeeper.ca/salt.
New Urbanism in Troubled Times
Matthieu Gagnon, Vice-President
I am currently writing this in the wake of Donald Trump’s inauguration. The tableau made it clear that our closest neighbour has been captured by oligarchs who do not have the best interests of their citizens in mind let alone the interests of foreigners including us Canadians. The global environment does not look very favourable for the Canadian economy and our community will be impacted sooner or later. We need to build resilience in our community because some people may financially struggle in the coming months and years if they are not already. New urbanism provides us with a framework to build that resilience.
CA is for Change Agent
Matthieu Gagnon, Vice-President
Since I joined the community association, I have been thinking about what role we should take when it comes to advocating for our community needs, which is one of the elements of our new strategic plan. The community association is in a weird spot where we represent members of our community in a manner that is not formally recognised in the city’s power structure. We don’t have any official power to change things. Still, we do have some ability to mobilise community members. We also have the ear of our councillor, Laura Dudas, who has been great about keeping us informed and connecting us to the right people in the city who are in a position to address our concerns. After reflection, I decided that the best course of action for our advocacy is act as a change agent by holding the city accountable for the official plans, facilitating changes in our community and helping our neighbours to adapt to those changes.
Suburban Rob-servations
Rob Attrell, Outreach Committee
The Importance of Community Involvement: Beyond Social Media
In today’s digital age, it’s easier than ever to feel connected to our communities through social media. A quick like, comment, or share can give us the sense that we’re actively participating and supporting our neighbours. However, while these online interactions are valuable, they cannot replace the profound impact of real-world engagement. True community involvement requires us to step out from behind our screens and actively contribute to the well-being of those around us.
Building a Stronger Sense of Community: Why It Matters
In today’s digitally connected world, it’s easy to feel isolated despite being surrounded by people. Building closer relationships with our neighbors can counteract this isolation and bring numerous benefits to our lives. As a member of the community association, I believe fostering a sense of community cohesiveness is essential.
Learning About Roundabouts: Steering Towards a Safer, More Efficient Community
As a proud member of the board of our community association in Convent Glen Orleans Wood, I am a huge proponent of the maintaining the charm and tranquility of our neighbourhood. We all cherish the sense of familiarity and the ease of getting around without needing to navigate traffic during peak times, especially when construction projects cluster in our neighbourhood.
However, as our community matures, we should consider ways to improve our road infrastructure to ensure safety and efficiency for all residents. One common way to improve traffic flow for all road users is the replacement of signalized intersections with roundabouts.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting… to Drive Everywhere
In many North American communities, the prevailing expectation is that driving is the primary, if not the only, way to get around. This assumption has shaped our transportation infrastructure in ways that often go unnoticed but have significant impacts on accessibility and livability. Streets and even whole suburban neighbourhoods are designed with cars in mind. Often neglected are the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit users, basically anybody who isn’t in a vehicle.
Cycling in Orleans | Bike Ottawa
Reminder that we are looking for folks who are interested in improving cycling infrastructure and taking part in bike-related activities to get in touch and join our mailing list. Email [email protected] and check out the link above to get involved.
Politics in our Public Forums
As we approach the upcoming provincial and federal elections in Canada, our community association recognizes the importance of fostering open and respectful dialogue. Politics is an integral part of our daily lives, influencing everything from local policies to national decisions. To say that we won’t host discussions of politics on our platforms is, in itself, a political stance. Defining what can and cannot be said is inherently political by nature.
Miscellaneous Updates
We’re Updating Our CA Email Address
We are changing our mail contact email address to [email protected] to align with the new website URL. As of February 1st, we will begin changing this across the site and other places online.
Check out the CA Starter Kit
We’ve set up a single page where you can see all the ways you can get involved or stay updated with the Community Association.
Outreach Survey
We are still looking to collect submissions for our community survey. If you haven’t filled out the form yet, we’d love to hear from you about your interest in community events and thoughts about your neighbourhood.
Photo Contest
We are going to be extending the deadline to enter the Winter themed photo contest to the end of March. Keep putting those photos up, and you can vote on existing submissions on our community forum. You can submit via the forum or by sending your photo via email to [email protected].
