July 2026 Newsletter

Growing Curiosity – Teaching Kids About Invasive Plants this Summer

By Emma Marshall

Summer break is here and it’s time to send the kids out for our few warm months. While exploring this summer, consider how children may have the opportunity to discover our lovely neighborhood a bit differently. Invasive species are a local issue, and children and families can play a meaningful role in learning about and addressing these issues.

The Latest from ‘The New Orleans’

From Rob Attrell, Board Director and Outreach Committee Chair

• Updates From The Week of June 8^th
• I ended up writing 4 separate articles after reading Cassie Smith’s Master’s Thesis on transportation policy in Ottawa, which you should totally read too, by the way.
  • This Master’s Thesis Pinpoints Why Ottawa’s Transportation Policy is “Oops, All Cars!”
  • How Provincial Rules Subtly Force Car-Centred Ontario Cities
  • Why Bike Lanes Are “Nice-to-Have” And Get Left Behind In Ontario
  • The Simple Way Cities Can Save You Money By Raising Taxes
• If You Give a Mouse a Bike Lane
• Video Projects:

I’m tired of excuses – Getting across Jeanne d’Arc Blvd – Urbanist Reacts

Safer, Faster, and Waaaay Cheaper – Simple Suburban Roundabouts – Urbanist Reacts

The next Eastern Ottawa Urbanism Club meetup is online on July 22nd at 12:15 PM, join and RSVP at Eastern Ottawa Urbanism Club.

Follow the journey at TheNewOrleans.ca.

Scouts: Building the skills for city life

By Matthieu Gagnon

I am currently working on the recruitment for my Scout unit and as part of the exercise, I have been putting some thoughts into the value that the movement brings to kids and adults who participate.

Hidden Routes to Hidden Taste

By Matthieu Gagnon

It is [was] a beautiful day and I was craving Indian food, so I decided to ride to Hidden Taste for their lunch menu, which is good even though I wished the lamb curry plate had some vegetables

Why Stage 2 East Isn’t Open Yet: The Story Behind the Delay – Rail Fans Canada

A New Walmart Supercentre is coming to Place d’Orléans in Ottawa, Ontario

Submit Your Photos Today

The Photo and Video Archive is our attempt at a community-owned, locally-sourced repository of high-quality visuals. By building this crowdsourced repository, we are creating a shared resource that belongs to the neighbourhood.

We are looking for “stock-style” photos and/or video that captures the everyday reality of our corner of Orléans. This includes the beauty of our ravines and river paths, but also the mundane—the intersections we cross, the homes we live in, and the ways we move through the community. You could look to capture something you really love or something you seek to improve. This media allows us to make our perspective visible to the rest of the city.

Contribute Knowledge to your Community

Our new forum is designed to let community residents break out of the algorithmic traps of social media and contribute to a shared knowledge base that reflects community needs and sentiment.

Built using Discourse community software, the CGOW Forum is an online public square for a variety of topics important to our neighbourhoods, and you can even navigate and read the forum without an account.

At the end of 2024, we explicitly set out to start growing our community association membership and newsletter subscription base. We now have over 250 members and our newsletter reaches over 625 people each month.

We’re hoping to get your help to register your friends and neighbours in the community by running a membership drive, featuring ✨prizes✨ for residents who encourage the most new signups (provided those people are residents living inside our Geographical Boundaries).

If you aren’t already a CA member, join today! You can still participate if you’re a brand new member.

Volunteer Opportunities

We have a ton of ongoing opportunities to get involved, please have a look at the full list (linked). Please reach out to [email protected] if you’re interested.

• Volunteering with Upcoming Events
  • Community Cafe (June 7 through September)
  • Yoga in the Park (July 8 and Wednesdays until September)
  • Music in the Woods Festival (July 25)
• Volunteer Coordinator
  • Send regular updates to volunteer group about new and upcoming opportunities
  • Help event planners find volunteers
  • Help recruit new community volunteers
• Events Coordinator
  • Keep track of upcoming events with leads
  • Make sure events have a poster, date/time, RSVPs, booking, etc.
• A/V Expert/Coordinator
  • Someone that can help out with in-person events that need video or sound to help set things up
  • Can give advice for possible purchases in this area
• Local Experts/Coordinators
  • We’d love to hear from you if you are interested in representing your specific area’s interests within the community association. Our boundaries include Convent Glen North and South, as well as Orleans Wood and everything north of St Joseph and west of Place d’Orléans, and we hear from some parts of the community much more than others.
• School Parent Council Liaisons
  • If you’re affiliated with a parent council, in the community we’d love to be in touch to coordinate events where appropriate.
• Graphic Designer
  • If you have a strong eye for design or visuals, we’d love your help putting together graphics for community promotion or advertising community events.
  • We have been using Canva for design, so experience with that program would certainly be helpful.
  • Tasks we’d be looking for help with include the following:
    • Help us to create posters, flyers, and other materials for events
    • Support graphic design needs like logos or other graphics.

Orléans Community Network

The Orléans Community Network is a way for different organizations and community groups to keep in touch, share information, events, and best practices, and unite in advocacy on relevant issues. It’s also a great way for residents to find and get in touch with community groups that are active in Orléans.

To have your organization included in the network, reach out to [email protected] with the name of the organization, its website, and a main contact email address.

CGOW Community Network

The Convent Glen Orléans Wood (CGOW) Community Network is a dedicated way for volunteer groups, schools, and local organizations right here in Convent Glen and Orléans Wood to communicate and collaborate. Powered by your Convent Glen Orléans Wood Community Association, our mission is to foster a more connected, informed, and collaborative neighbourhood. We believe that by making it easier for us all to communicate and work together, we can strengthen the tight-knit bonds that make our community a truly special place to live.

To have your organization included in the network, send an email to [email protected] and let us know the organization’s name, website, and a central contact email address.

CA Board of Directors Meeting – July 20 – 7:30 PM

Every month, the Board of Directors of the Community Association holds a meeting to discuss ongoing community association matters. If you’d like to bring up something the board should discuss, send us an email at [email protected].

You can also see minutes from previous board meetings here, to see what we’ve been chatting about: Board Meeting Minutes.