October 2025 Newsletter For October, check out our upcoming events, community news, featured photos taken by our residents, and so much more!

I would like to see our community become more kid-friendly in the coming years. We have a lot to lose if we continue creating real-world spaces that can’t compete with virtual environments.

Hidden Harvest, now a part of EnviroCentre, has been working since 2012 to ensure more of this food gets into the hands of the community.

Great turnout at today’s Kidical Mass ride in Orleans, Ottawa. Shows there’s an appetite for cycling outside the core. #KidicalMassRide #Ottawa #Orleans @cgow.bsky.social

This fun family bike ride is also an advocacy event? 🚲 Our article highlights the fun of Kidical Mass on Sept 27th & shows how simple road changes can make our streets safer for everyone. 🚦 Join us to advocate for a more accessible Orleans! #KidicalMass #SafeStreets #BikeOttawa

Do you like to… Ride your bike 🚲 And have fun 🥳 With your kids 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 On safe neighbourhood streets 🪖 Come to our next kidical mass ride in Orleans. Info 👇 1/2 kidicalmassorleans2025.eventbrite.ca

🚆 Big weekend for O-Train Line 1! A full-line test from Tunney’s Pasture to Trim is happening Sept 13–14. 📅 No train service, R1 buses in place. 23 trains will run at full speed, up to 80 km/h. A major step toward the East Extension launch!

✨New Post✨A small park in Orléans is proving the "Field of Dreams" rule of community building: if you build good places for people, they will come. This is a small taste of the more vibrant future we can create. 🌳 #Orleans #Urbanism

It was wonderful to be part of the Convent Glen - Orléans Wood Community Association’s community barbecue. I truly enjoyed having so many great conversations with folks. A huge thank you to all the volunteers who made today possible. Events like these are what make our community great. 🍔🍔🍔

City Councillors : Make sure to vote in favour of changes that will make our streets safer for everyone! Such as banning right turns on reds, narrowing our roads, implementing traffic calming measures, put in more protected bike lanes, lowering speed limits, etc...

Hot off the press! 🔥 Our September newsletter is packed with community news! Join us for the annual BBQ on Sept 7th, plus a Kidical Mass bike ride and Repair Cafe on Sept 27th. Plus, read up on local issues and find out how you can get involved. Read the full newsletter here:

✨New Post✨ Our kids should be able to safely walk or bike around their own neighbourhoods. Car-centric design has taken away their independent mobility, but we can get it back by retrofitting our streets. Our suburban kids deserve better. #SafeStreets #Urbanism

While the uploading of the 174 will provide a much-needed financial relief to our city, it appears that Orléans residents will bear the cost through more traffic on the 174, more crowded trains, and fewer opportunities to improve life around our LRT stations.

We're organizing a Kidical Mass family bike ride in Orléans on Sept 27! It's more than just a fun ride; it's a joyful, positive demonstration for safer streets for our kids and a more connected community. Hope you can join us! 🚲

Hello Convent Glen Orleans Wood CA Members, I frequently hear from people who aren't aware of our ongoing and upcoming events, so I'll share them here.

✨New Post✨ Transit-Oriented Development is a good first step, but it's not a silver bullet. To truly transform our suburbs, we need to move beyond just building near transit and focus on creating financially resilient, walkable, and complete neighbourhoods.

✨New Post✨ Ever wonder why we so often fight against the very traffic solutions that would improve our neighbourhoods and our lives? I dive into the psychology that keeps us stuck in congestion and how a shift in perspective can lead to more connected, resilient communities. #Urbanism #Ottawa

Your stuff should last. The #RightToRepair movement is challenging companies that build products to break. See how this new legislation benefits you and our community. #ConsumerRights #ConventGlen

✨ A new post is up! ✨ What if Orléans chose people over parking lots? We explore how moving parking out of the streetscape can create vibrant, people-first spaces and unlock our community's potential. #Orléans #OttCity #Placemaking

Ottawa's new zoning by-law will impact planning for decades to come. We need to get it right. That's why we joined partners like @strongtownsottawa.ca in calling for increased building heights in low density areas of the Greenbelt. www.ecologyottawa.ca/zbl_submissi...

My @cgow.bsky.social co-conspirator, @robattrell.bsky.social, on @ben-durham.bsky.social's podcast. I am am the one who got him to try the cargo bike. Conversations in the park are important for advocacy. youtu.be/BOFBbDuZVIo?...

A new multi-unit apartment building is currently being built in our neighbourhood, and it’s a frequent topic of conversation among locals. Instead of a threat, we should see this type of development as a sign of health—a necessary and positive step in the ongoing life of our community.

Kid 1 biked to Petrie. If a seven year old can cross Orléans twice on a hot day, it's not unreasonable to think of cycling as a viable transportation option in Orléans. We just need the infrastructure. Happy Canada Day!!! #bikeottawa

My new article, "The Vacation Paradox," 🏡🚗 is all about why we flock to walkable, amenity-rich destinations for vacation, yet build car-dependent places at home? This paradox holds key lessons for more resilient & joyful communities.

I recently delegated to Ottawa's Public Works & Infrastructure Committee on the Transportation Master Plan! I championed transit, walking, and biking, but highlighted critical funding gaps for Orleans. #Orleans #Transportation Watch the clip and read my full delegation: lesscar.ca/2025/06/27/m...

@envirocentre.bsky.social Let's Bike was a lot of fun! 320km for me. Mostly grocery trips and commutes. #bikeottawa #ottawa

In my latest newsletter, I included a list of several Canada Day 🇨🇦 events happening tomorrow. Here's a link in case it helps you plan your day: mailchi.mp/ottawa/wu0np...

Beautiful morning for a bike ride! Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

Summer vibes are strong with our July Newsletter! 📰☀️ Packed with upcoming events and community news. Check it out: #ConventGlen #OrleansWood #CommunityNews

Great piece by my fellow CGOWCA board member, @robattrell.bsky.social comparing tax revenue between St-Joseph and Kent Street in Ottawa. I often talk to neighbours who are under the impression that the suburbs fund downtown. lesscar.ca/2025/06/28/o... #strongtowns #ottawa

@cgow.bsky.social is continuing to infiltrate advocacy groups. Last night, I joined the board of the Federation of Citizen's Associations of Ottawa.

Orleans Boulevard Safe Cycling Infrastructure: Give your feedback! bikeottawa.ca/2025/06/13/o... #ottbike #ottawa #orleans #cycling

Hello BlueSky, we’re in Ottawa in the neighbourhood of Orleans. Here’s the June newsletter for our community association: cgow.ca/june-2025-ne... #ottawa #orleans #community