🌞⛱️💦 Summer is coming 💦⛱️🌞

We have a massive number of summer events starting in the next few weeks, from coffee in the park at our community cafe, a fun family bike ride, Yoga in the Park, and our Music in the Woods summer music festival!
Upcoming Events
We can always use volunteers to help events run smoothly, if you’re able to help out, please email [email protected] to let us know.
The CGOW Community Cafe is back!
Starting Sunday June 7th at 9:30 AM, and running on Sundays through the summer in Voyageur Park.

The Community Cafe runs again starting Sunday June 7 between 9:30 and 11 AM in the warmer months in Voyageur Park. There will be a coffee bike cart (with community volunteers playing barista) that will be serving freshly brewed coffee and this year a new baked treats provider, Mary’s bakery providing cookies and brownies, with all proceeds going to help fund and grow more community events for all of us.
Mary’s Bakery is a small scale, home bakery here in Convent Glen specializing in cookies and sourdough bread. Stop by the Cafe in the Park to try some delicious treats and say hi! Weekly preorders also available starting June 7th for pickup through marysbakery.shop.
2nd Annual Kidical Mass Ride in Convent Glen North
June 13, 2026 – 10 AM – Father Richard Ward Park

We’re all ready for a fun family bike ride to kick off the summer. Register now and join us on a loop through Convent Glen North. All ages are welcome!
If you or a neighbour/relative/friend are interested in volunteering as a marshal along the route, please get in touch via an email to [email protected].
Native Plant Sale
July 5, 2026 – 9:30 AM to 2 PM – 290 Centrum (Heart of Orleans Market)

- Grow your garden with native plants from Ontario: Native perennials and pollinator-friendly plants available
- Get planting advice from our volunteers: Beginners and advanced gardeners alike are welcome
Yoga in the Park is Back!
Wednesdays starting July 8 – Décarie Park – 7 PM

We’re going to be kicking off our weekly summer Yoga in the Park series every Wednesday through July and August, starting on July 8. It is free, no registration required, and everyone is welcome.
If you’re willing to join and help out the small volunteer group coordinating these sessions (some but not all weeks in July and August), please reach out to [email protected]. It is not a lot of work, but it is critical to the event running smoothly. Thanks!
First‑Ever Music in the Woods Festival
On July 25th, A Celebration of Community, Culture, and 200 Years of Local History

More details to come! Stay tuned. Volunteer to help with planning or the event day at [email protected].
🎲 Join A Weekly Board Game Night in Orléans!
👉 Red Dragon Comics at 7:30 PM on Thursdays (6008 Voyageur Drive, Orléans)

Drop by and meet our friendly local board game group! We gather every Thursday at 7:30 PM at Red Dragon Comics (6008 Voyageur Drive) to enjoy a variety of modern board games—and we love welcoming new faces.
Come join your neighbours for a fun, social evening of board gaming!
News and Articles
June is Let’s Bike Month in Ottawa!
Join our Team – Orléans Pedal Power

Join Our Let’s Bike Month team!
Let’s Bike Month is EnviroCentre’s annual celebration of travelling by bike. Join the campaign by logging each bike ride. You’ll see your impact and have a chance to win one of the amazing prizes offered throughout the month.
Break out your bike bags, pump your tires, and charge your lights because together we will make 2026 the best bike year ever!
Environment Committee
Protectors of the River: Spotlight on The Ottawa Riverkeeper

Before now, you may not have known that there is a local organization who has been dedicated to protecting our Ottawa River. If so, let me introduce you to The Ottawa Riverkeeper: a charitable organization that has been advocating, educating, and ensuring the Ottawa River watershed is swimmable, drinkable, and fishable since 2001.
Suburban Observations
The Latest from ‘The New Orleans’
From Rob Attrell, Board Director and Outreach Committee Chair

- Wider Roads Aren’t The Solution to Traffic, They’re The Cause
- The New(s) Orleans – May 2026 Urbanism Newsletter
- That’s not a raised crossing! – Jeanne d’Arc Blvd/174 Overpass – Urbanism Ridealong (image below)

The next Eastern Ottawa Urbanism Club meetup is June 10th at noon at Bad Alibi, join and RSVP at Eastern Ottawa Urbanism Club.
Follow the journey at TheNewOrleans.ca.
Lemonade Standemonium 2026
The Ottawa Cancer Foundation

Lemonade Standemonium 2026 is a fun, community and youth-driven fundraising campaign running all summer long to support The Ottawa Cancer Foundation. We invite individuals, families, and community groups to host lemonade stands with 100% of proceeds supporting free programs and services for individuals and families impacted by cancer in our community.
This initiative is a simple and meaningful way to bring people together, build real connections, and show up for one another as a community. What makes it especially special is that it is truly local, with every stand, every participant, and every dollar raised staying right here in Ottawa. As a community organization, your support can make a real difference in helping this grow, and we would be so grateful if you could share it through your networks, newsletters, or social media. You are also more than welcome to take part by hosting your own stand or creating a team to join in.
The campaign runs from June 1st-August 31st! If you’re interested in registering or to learn more, please check out the link below.
Community Engagement
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.
Encourage Friends and Neighbours to Join
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 nearly 600 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)
- Kidical Mass (June 13; more opportunities through summer)
- 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.
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 – June 8 – 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.
Other Community Newsletters
Laura Dudas Ward 2 Newsletter
The Beat – Heart of Orleans Newsletter
Orléans Connect – Weekly Orleans Newsletter
Ottawa Lookout – 3x per Week Ottawa News
Thanks to Our Sponsors
The Convent Glen Orleans Wood Community Association has established a partnering approach with local businesses who can support our mission and mandate. We have created affordable sponsorships that provide mutually beneficial outcomes, and we would love to connect with local, community-oriented businesses.
Benefits include features in the monthly newsletter, on our local Facebook group, event sponsorships, and visibility on the cgow.ca website among others.
We are moving from a system with Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels to one with levels called Leaves, Branches, Limbs, Trunk, and Roots. In making this change, we aim to highlight what your sponsorship can be used for in the community. Talk to us about how we could support your local business at [email protected]!
Our sponsorship program was established to help our association to fulfill its mandate of bringing residents together to support one another, our local businesses are the lifeblood of a thriving community.
🫚 ‘Living Roots’ Sponsors
Become a ‘Living Roots’ Sponsor today, for maximum community impact!
🌳’Neighbourhood Trunk’ Sponsors
🦵 ‘Community Limb’ Sponsors

Jean Richer – Realtor with Royal Lepage Integrity Realty (Website Sponsor)
🌿 ‘Local Branch’ Sponsors

*JUST RENEWED*
Almanac Urban Mill & Bakery

*NEW SPONSOR*
Chris’s Ice Cream
🍃 Sprouting Leaf Sponsors

















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