August 2026 Newsletter

Music in the Woods Festival Recap

“Music in the Woods” proved just how vibrant, welcoming, and tight-knit our neighbourhood truly is. We are already looking forward to making this an annual tradition—bringing even more music, more neighbours, and more summer fun to Orléans next year!

Read all about it below.

Tis’ the season: Hidden Harvests have begun!

Chantal Boudreau, member of the Environment Committee

As a more established neighbourhood in Orléans, Convent Glen-Orléans Wood has a lot of fruit and nuts trees. If you’ve got a keen eye, you might have noticed plums, serviceberries, mulberries, sour cherries and even some apples were ripe in June and July.

Don’t Get Stranded on the Pathway

Matthieu Gagnon, Vice President

It is the middle of summer and the multi-use pathways are packed with cyclists, including myself. I often assist people on the trail who have mechanical issues with their bike.

From Rob Attrell, Board Director and Outreach Committee Chair

Why Getting Involved in Your Community is Worth the Effort

Getting involved in your local community association isn’t only about selfless sacrifice; it is also a direct investment in your own happiness and well-being. When you show up to pitch in, you get to spend time with people who are genuine, welcoming, and passionate about things and making where they live nicer. You get to work on projects you care about and help bring exciting activities to life.

I’m Writing A Book! Check out New Suburbs (newburbs.com)

Learn more at newburbs.com.

The next Eastern Ottawa Urbanism Club meetup is at the Bad Alibi on August 19 at 8 PM, join and RSVP at Eastern Ottawa Urbanism Club.

Follow the journey at TheNewOrleans.ca.

Ottawa Children’s Choir

We offer choir programs for children and youth ages 5 to 18, with convenient locations in Downtown Ottawa and Orléans. We are currently encouraging new singers to join us!

Ottawa Children’s Choir

Help Support Our Community – Blood Donors Needed in Orleans and surrounding areas

Canadian Blood Services because we are currently experiencing a high need for blood donations across our region. Hospital inventories have recently dropped by approximately 20%, and every donation made today can help ensure patients receive the care they need.

Many residents may not realize that Orléans is home to a permanent Blood & Plasma Donation Centre at Place d’Orléans. As a valued community leader, I would greatly appreciate your help in encouraging members of your organization, colleagues, and community networks to consider donating blood or plasma during this time of increased need.

Orléans Blood & Plasma Donation Centre
110 Place d’Orléans Drive
(Outside mall entrance – next to Aqua-Tots Swim)

Appointments can be booked at blood.ca, through the GiveBlood app, or by calling 1-888-2-DONATE. Walk-in donors are also welcome based on availability.

Tutor Doctor Orléans – New Sponsor

Chinedu Mba

As the owner of Tutor Doctor Orléans, I have the privilege of helping students discover their strengths and grow in confidence through personalized one-to-one tutoring.

Education has always been at the heart of what I do, and I enjoy partnering with parents, schools, and community organizations to support student success and lifelong learning. I believe that when families, educators, and communities work together, children are empowered to reach their full potential. Whether through academic support, parent guidance, or community partnerships, I am passionate about helping build a caring, connected neighbourhood where every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Tutor Doctor Orléans

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If your business would like to sponsor the community association, please visit cgow.ca/sponsors, and reach out to [email protected].

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 – August 17 – 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.