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Matthieu Gagnon, Vice-President There has been a lot of talk about bike lanes recently because the province got involved in municipal affairs with Bill 212. I have also been expecting plans for bike lanes on and near Orléans Boulevard between the river and Notre-Dame for a long time. Whenever I post something on Facebook, …
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Permanent link to this article: https://cgow.ca/who-are-bike-lanes-for
Matthieu Gagnon, Vice-President On April 7, 2025, as I was riding to work from Orléans, I was cut off by a vehicle at Beechwood and Acacia. I am not sure exactly what happened since the collision robbed me of those memories. However, I do know that someone decided to turn left without making sure the …
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Permanent link to this article: https://cgow.ca/injured-for-a-drivers-convenience
I am currently in the process of reviewing the 2nd draft of the zoning bylaw that just got published, and I felt the need to do something fun like writing an article for the newsletter instead because zoning is REALLY boring. One concept that comes up a lot in zoning discussions is the concept of …
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Permanent link to this article: https://cgow.ca/maintaining-neighbourhood-character-in-a-time-of-change
As some of you may be aware, the City of Ottawa is currently in the process of updating its zoning bylaw. I have attended several meetings on the subject as part of the Federation of Citizen’s Association general meetings and as part of the FCA’s Planning and Zoning Committee and one workshop organized by …
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Permanent link to this article: https://cgow.ca/ottawa-zoning-bylaw-changes-summary
Photo by Team EVELO on Pexels.com People who use a bike for transportation can sometimes be annoying…based on comments from my wife. I have been reflecting on my journey and my interactions with other people like me to try and help people understand why many people who bike for transportation care about bike-ability …
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Permanent link to this article: https://cgow.ca/bike-activism-explained
Photo by Twelve Visualz on Pexels.com Matthieu Gagnon, Vice President As a community association board member, a big part of our role is to validate claims the city makes when making decisions regarding policy, development and infrastructure. The city’s transportation master plan is looking to shift trips from cars to other modes …
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Permanent link to this article: https://cgow.ca/cycling-in-winter-a-viable-means-of-transportation
Photo by Jopwell on Pexels.com 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 …
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Permanent link to this article: https://cgow.ca/ca-is-for-change-agent
Photo by Michael Tuszynski on Pexels.com 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 …
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Permanent link to this article: https://cgow.ca/new-urbanism-in-troubled-times