Category: Matthieu

Maintaining Neighbourhood Character in a Time of Change

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

Ottawa Zoning Bylaw Changes Summary

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

Bike Activism Explained

man and woman riding bicycles

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

Cycling in Winter – A Viable Means of Transportation

a person riding a bike on the street at night while snowing

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

CA is for Change Agent

woman wearing teal dress sitting on chair talking to man

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

New Urbanism in Troubled Times

houses near road

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

Third places in Convent Glen Orléans Wood

people inside bar

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com Matthieu Gagnon, Vice-President The Pumpkin Alley organized by my fellow community association board member, Arnold van den Hoeven, made me realize two important things, our neighbours are generally awesome and we need more of these types of things. The highlight of the event to me was …

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Permanent link to this article: https://cgow.ca/third-places-in-convent-glen-orleans-wood

Budget 2025: Active Transportation Priorities

Matthieu Gagnon, Vice-President, CGOWCA Board Last spring, I did a series on my personal blog about what I consider the top priorities for active transportation in Orléans. I came up with four general objectives and wrote a post about each of them: Allowing kids to move around the neighbourhood Getting people to the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://cgow.ca/budget-2025-active-transportation-priorities