July 2025 Newsletter

Community Connections

Check out the whole list of recurring community events going on this summer.

☕ Community Cafe (cgow.ca/fe)

Sunday Mornings | 9:30 AM – noon
Voyageur Park

🧺 Pop-up Park Picnics (cgow.ca/picnics)

(TBD in July) | 2 – 5 PM

🚲 Pedal and Play (cgow.ca/pedal)

Saturdays at 10 AM (weather dependent)
Starting from Father Richard Ward Park

🧘 Yoga in the Park (cgow.ca/yoga)

Wednesdays in July and August | 7 – 8 PM
Decarie Park

The Comedy of Errors | Shakespeare in the Park

Prepare for a summer of slapstick, mistaken identities, and pixel-powered pandemonium! 🍄 Bring a blanket, pack your mushrooms (the picnic kind!), and join us for a summer full of unforgettable evenings of laughter, adventure, and theatrical magic under the summer sky.

Coming to Hiawatha Park on July 7th at 7 PM.

Pop-up Park Picnic

Photo by Karen from June 21st picnic

Recap of Let’s Bike Month

CGOW Team rides over 2300 km in June (and counting!)

2025 Repair Cafe – Looking for Repairers

On September 27th, the Convent Glen Orleans Wood Environment Committee will be hosting their second Repair Cafe at the Orleans United Church, from 2 PM to 5PM. 

The committee is in need of repairers and menders for the Repair Cafe. They are hoping to find community members who are able to fix bikes, clothing and textiles, and small appliances or other household items. A bonus would be someone who can fix computers, instruments, wooden objects, toys or jewellery. This year, they are also interested in including a knife sharpener.

If you are interested in volunteering as a repairer, please an email to:

[email protected]

Cost-effective Ways to Stay Cool This Summer

Bettina Sales, Environment Committee

While it is tempting to simply crank up the air conditioner on those hot summer days, there are several cost-effective things you can do to use less energy and save money to stay cool this summer.

My Delegation and Comments on the Transportation Master Plan – June 26, 2025

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to speak to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC; formerly the Transportation Committee) about the final draft of Ottawa’s Transportation Master Plan. When you do this (which I had never done before), you get 5 minutes to speak on the item, and councillors can then ask you questions about what you’ve said. This was a great experience, and though prep was quite a bit of work, I think it was worth it.

Orleans’ Untapped Potential – St. Joseph vs Centretown

How a city organizes its space—its land use and population density—has a profound impact on its financial health and the daily lives of its residents. Denser, more compact urban areas are better able to generate tax revenue to pay for amenities and services because they accommodate more homes and businesses on less land.

Priorities for Convent Glen North (and Orleans) for the 2025 Ottawa Zoning Bylaw Consultations

The city is currently going through consultations (New Zoning By-law | Engage Ottawa) to renew plans for upcoming zoning bylaw changes. Here are a couple of changes to zoning that would radically improve the ways we interact with our community and the city.

The Vacation Paradox: What Our Getaways Reveal About the Places We Build

As summer approaches, the annual ritual of vacation planning begins. For many, this means dreaming of destinations that offer a distinct break from the everyday. But as you map out your getaway to a bustling resort, a vibrant theme park, or a luxurious cruise ship, consider a curious paradox: for many who cherish the quiet, car-dependent lifestyle of the suburbs, the most cherished vacation memories are made in places that are the complete opposite—dense, walkable, and teeming with life.

A Community for Small Businesses

Matthieu Gagnon, Vice-President

As a business school graduate, I am always interested in learning about organizations and how they work. Lately, I have been thinking about how our city is failing small businesses and, most importantly, their customers.

Community Association Starter Kit

Here is a decent list to get you started on engaging with your community, but of course there’s also lots you can do that doesn’t involve the association at all, and of course this all might just not be your thing, and that’s OK too (although I didn’t think it was mine either and it definitely is). This list isn’t in a particular order, but I did think about their order while sorting and grouping them.

Thanks to everyone who submitted photos in June! You can do so via our weekly Facebook group submission post, on our forum in #photos, or by email at [email protected].

Community Submissions

If you want to share something of your own with the community, feel free to let us know about it at the link below. We’d be happy to publish letters from the community in our newsletter and on our website.