August 2025 Newsletter

Kidical Mass Orleans – Family Bike Ride

September 27, 2025 – Departs at 10 AM.

Kidical Mass is an internationally recognized family cycling event and we’re proud to bring it to Orleans this September.

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)

Glen Park – August 16 | 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

Pop-up Park Picnic at Joe Jamieson Park

Photo from July 19th (Glen Park is up next; August 16 from 2-5)

Connecting our community, one coffee at a time – Community Café, Mid-Summer Report

The community has been getting together since June and sharing a coffee and some conversation as part of the weekly CGOW CA Community Cafe that was started this year at Voyageur Park.  We have a great neighbourhood with amazing parks and access to trails, but we haven’t had access to cozy Third Spaces within easy walking or biking distance of all parts of Convent Glen and Orleans Wood.  Here’s why and how we started to tackle this challenge.

Native Plant Sale Recap

Angie Caunce-Paull, Environment Committee

On Sunday July 6, the Environmental Committee, part of the Convent Glen Orléans Wood Community Association, held its first native plant sale fundraiser at the Heart of Orléans Market. It was non-stop community engagement action from open to close! Over 100 visitors came through our booth looking to add to their pollinator gardens or build one from scratch. 

Shuffle Off This Mosquito Coil

Angie Caunce-Paull, Environment Committee

How are we supposed to enjoy our outdoor spaces when we are getting eaten alive by relentless vampire insects? When pest control companies come along offering to rid your backyard of mosquitoes, it’s very tempting to give them all your money in exchange for some sweet relief. But that relief comes at a very high price. 

2025 Repair Cafe – *Still* Looking for 1-2 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. 

We are still in need of at least one more general repairer who can fix household appliances and other small household items.

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

[email protected]

Our Neighbourhood’s Next Chapter: Why a Little Change is a Good Thing

A new multi-unit apartment building is currently being built in our neighbourhood, and it’s a frequent topic of conversation among locals. It’s not the first infill development, and it won’t be the last, but this one is right at the intersection of two main streets, so it’s more visible than most of these developments will be.

*NEW* Check out ‘The New Orleans’

The New Orleans is a new local advocacy project talking about Orleans with the people who live here. We’ll be talking about local issues in ways that matter to the residents of this community. It’s an experiment in hyper-local public advocacy, actively challenging the suburban status quo by presenting a compelling, positive vision for a more financially resilient, socially connected, walkable, and vibrant community. It serves as a blueprint for suburban transformation, synthesizing urbanist principles into actionable steps for local change. Subscribe today and follow the journey at TheNewOrleans.ca.

• Welcome to The New Orleans
• Beyond the Backyard Oasis: Why Community Pools Could Be Orleans’ Next Big Splash
• A Simple Solution to Safely Cross Orleans Blvd: Let’s Experiment
• Crave Paradise? Hide all the Parking Spots
• The “10-Minute Errand” Test: Why My Neighbourhood Fails and How We Could Start Fixing It
• And much more!

An Update on the Future of Orleans Boulevard: A Choice We Can Make for a Safer Community

From BikeOttawa.ca by Rob Attrell

I am writing to you today as a resident, a parent, and a community advocate to give an update on the status of the Orleans Boulevard active transportation project. I also want to talk a little more about the future I want and see for our community.

CA Board of Directors Meeting – August 18 – 7:30 PM

Every month, the Board of Directors of the Community Association holds a meeting to discuss ongoing community association matters. Members of the community and other stakeholders are welcome to attend, please let us know if you’d like to join the meeting via email at [email protected] and we can pass along an invite.

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

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.

In 2024, the CGOW CA took a big step forward by outlining our mission, vision, and values. One idea that emerged strongly was the importance of community advocacy — and how much more effective we are when we all raise our voices together. That’s where you come in!

We’re launching a new segment to highlight small but meaningful actions that residents can take to support improvements in our neighbourhood. Every effort, big or small, helps make our collective voice stronger.

📢 Call To Action

🚗 Expanding Mobility Together: Let’s Bring Car-Sharing to Orléans!

One exciting opportunity? Exploring car-sharing for Orléans!

Some members of our board who are passionate about urbanism have been looking at creative ways to help reduce the need for (and cost of) multiple vehicles per household, while still keeping transportation flexible and convenient. Services like Communauto offer access to a range of vehicle types — ideal for families who typically rely on one car, but occasionally need something bigger or different. It’s a smart, sustainable option that many communities have embraced.

Right now, Communauto doesn’t have cars available in Orléans. But that could change — with a little help from us. If we can show there’s interest in the area, we can make a case to bring the service here. The first step? Consider registering for their free “Open” plan. You’ll need a driving record (they can obtain one for you for a fee, or you can get it yourself from Service Ontario for $12).

We’re optimistic that, together, we can help introduce more transportation options to our neighbourhood. Thanks for being part of it!

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

Community Submission Box

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.