✨New Post✨ Our city budget often chases short-term 'municipal candy' while ignoring the long-term fiscal bellyache it causes. It's time for the adults in the room to prioritize financial solvency over flashy projects. 🍬💸 #Ottawa #Orleans #StrongTowns

✨New Post✨ From our weekly "Pedal and Play" rides to a season-ending Kidical Mass event, we're showing what a more connected, family-friendly Orléans can look like—one bike ride at a time. 🚲 #Orléans #KidicalMass #Community

170 Slater, the collapsed parking garage being redeveloped into 538 residential units. Community Benefits Charge (CBC): ~$600,000 Development Charges (DC): ~$13,000,000 Of those DCs, about $3-million goes exclusively towards suburban arterial roads. Those should be eliminated long before the CBCs.

✨New Post✨ The average bike probably isn't practical for daily life, but realistically that just mean you have the wrong bike. Most North American cyclists are riding a sports car or Jeep when they need a sedan or a minivan. theneworleans.ca/2025/10/02/y... 👩👧👦 #CargoBike #Suburbs #urbanism

✨New Post✨ The suburban dream sold us the 'freedom to drive,' but it came with a hidden contract: the obligation to own a car for everything. True freedom is about having choices—the choice to walk, bike, or live a full life without a car. #LessCar #Urbanism

✨New Post✨ The city’s top-down approach to 15-minute neighbourhoods is too expensive. We can achieve the goal city-wide with a more fiscally prudent path: fixing our zoning to allow our communities to evolve organically. #LandUse #Zoning #OttPoli #Urbanism #StrongTowns

It’s even more striking if you look at survival rate carsp.ca/en/news-and-...

I was the sweeper for this morning's #KidicalMassOttawa bike ride. These two little ones did a super job. So does this ASE Safety Camera. There are 3 elementary schools located on this stretch of 4 lane road. The camera helps keep kids safe NOW & collects funds for more permanent changes. 1/2

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

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

That watermain is from 1972. Ottawa has 843km of watermains older than that. Council just deferred $2 billion in identified water and sewer renewal work for the next decade. You're going to see a lot more of this happening in the future.

I mapped Ottawa’s 2023–2033 road renewal list against property tax data. Then I estimated the amortized cost of road renewals as a share of the property tax levy: Inner greenbelt: 6% Outer greenbelt: 10% Rural: 40% Villages: 50%

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!

This change has happened so incrementally you might not have noticed, but cities, streets, and vehicles have made our children's world completely different from the one we grew up in.

✨New Post✨ Ever wonder why good plans for our community seem to disappear into a black hole at City Hall? I took a deep dive into the bureaucratic roadblocks that stall progress and how we can build a more financially resilient and people-focused Orléans. #ottpoli #urbanism

✨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

Want to enjoy the beautiful weather but still have errands to run? Ride your bike to the grocery store!

✨New Post✨ How do we pay for the Orléans we love? We face a choice: drastically higher taxes, declining services, or welcoming more neighbours. In my new article, I break down the uncomfortable math of our suburban lifestyle and our three possible futures. #Orléans #StrongTowns

With back to school is behind us, have you thought about new ways of getting to school? How about biking? Whether solo or starting a bike bus, we’ve got you covered! Plan your route with our new app. Download it now. 1/2 cyclingguide.org/download-the...

Good representation from the Vision Zero coalition in the replies here. We should be doing more than thoughts and prayers for the kids on our streets.

“The bike bus has emerged as a beacon of change, connecting communities and schools while promoting active and eco-friendly lifestyles. Originating in European cities like Barcelona, this trend has now become a global movement, reshaping the way kids commute to school.” Via @momentummag.bsky.social

✨New Post✨ Community events are more than just a nice way to spend an afternoon. They are the invisible social infrastructure that combats suburban isolation and builds the trust we need to create a better, more resilient Orléans. #Orleans #Community #Urbanism

“Efficiencies” don’t balance the books: they erode services and trust in our governments, institutions and organizations. My first (!!!) op-ed in the Ottawa Citizen: Why respect for taxpayers must mean real investment in transit, housing, and climate resilience. ottawacitizen.com/opinion/taxp...

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! 🚲

✨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

ICYMI - Our final #KidicalMass bike ride of the season will take place September 27 in Orleans! More details and optional registration: kidicalmassorleans2025.eventbrite.ca 📢 Please help us share the word. #OttBike #OttEvents #OttCity #Ottawa #OrleansOntario #SafeStreets #SafeStreetsForKids

✨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✨ What if our streets were designed for people first, where cars were only guests? This is the idea behind the "Woonerf" or living street. Let's explore how this concept could transform suburbs like Orléans. 🚶‍♀️🚲🌳 #Urbanism #Walkability #LessCar

✨New Post✨ The bicycle is more than a toy; it's a freedom machine. It's a powerful tool to build community, support local business, and heal our suburbs. Time to start the ride. 🚲 #LessCar #Orleans #YOW

✨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

✨New Post✨ Ever wonder why our suburbs look the way they do? It wasn't by accident. Unpacking the hidden policies that shaped our communities, from street design to housing types. #UrbanPlanning #Orleans

In the wake of multiple deaths and injuries on our roads, Strong Towns Ottawa supports an urgent pilot on banning right turns on reds in the downtown core. We believe the lives of our community members should come before the convenience of drivers. Read the letter we have sent out today below.

My semi-regular reminder of a really important reality about cities, density, services and taxes. Any questions? Graphic recently cleaned up by @kathrynmathias.bsky.social. #CityMakingMath

Folks who want to live in a city with a garage, front and back yard, in a neighborhood that has “character” defined by other single family homes, can do that! They are just going to have to pay to do it. We desperately need to let go of this faux American Dream bullshit of SFH ownership #ottawa

✨New Post✨ - Ever notice how our suburban playgrounds are often empty, even on a beautiful day? It’s not because kids don't want to play; it's because our neighbourhoods and their schedules are designed in a way that makes it a challenge for them to get there. #YOW #Orleans

Today is my youngest's last day of daycare. I will miss our daily bike rides together 🥲. But I am also looking forward to one school drop off closer to home!). My rough guess is we have travelled at least 3000km by bike for daycare trips (and my partner another 2k too). #MobilityOfCare

✨New Post✨ - When it comes to building a greener city, there are two often opposing schools of thought. One protects the local trees and yards, the other fights car-dependent sprawl. The truth is, we need to be both. Here's how we can balance these ideas for a better suburb. 🌳 vs. 🏙️ #YOW #Urbanism

Sign our petition here: www.ecologyottawa.ca/rtor_petition #VisionZero #OttCity #Ottawa #OttWalk #OttRoll #OttBike

We're disturbed by the numerous deaths of pedestrians and cyclists in Ottawa recently. It's time for action. We're garnering support for prohibiting all vehicular turns on red in downtown, for starters, and making this standard for protected intersections. www.ecologyottawa.ca/rtor_campaign

✨New Post✨: Our streets shouldn't be barriers. Simple designs like the 'continuous sidewalk' can stitch our neighbourhoods back together by putting people first, creating safer, more connected communities for everyone. It's a small change with a huge impact. 🚶‍♀️ #Walkable #Orleans #UrbanDesign

Why do our sidewalks force pedestrians 🚶‍♀️ to yield to cars? A continuous sidewalk flips the script: the path stays level & cars drive over it. A simple design shift that prioritizes safety, accessibility ♿ & people over vehicle speed. #UrbanDesign #WalkableCities

Debunking the myths of suburban development. 🏡 Are more neighbours a threat to property value, or the key to a more walkable, connected, and financially resilient community? It's time to reframe the conversation and choose a better future for our suburbs. #Housing #urbanism #Orleans

The suburban deal was simple: you pay your taxes, you get good services. But that deal is breaking down. It's not mismanagement; it's math. Here's the unspoken truth about why our communities are struggling to pay the bills. 💸 #suburbs #taxes

Sept 27th we will be biking in Orleans. Join us for this ride to show the potential for family biking in this part of the city. Kids and families across Ottawa deserve to be able to safely and comfortably bike to schools, pools, parks, libraries, shops, and more.

We are excited to announce the final ride of our 2025 season - on a new date - so we have an updated poster! kidicalmassorleans2025.eventbrite.ca 🎈🚲👦🏼🚲🥳🚲🎊🚲👧🏾🚲☀️🚲💚🚲🍭🚲🪅🚲👶🏻 #OttCity #Ottawa #OttBike #OttEvents #KidicalMass #StreetsForKids #StreetsForEveryone #KidicalMassOttawa

The first entry in a recurring series on urban infrastructure. Today, Modal Filters: The Simple Secret to Taking Back Your Street #ottawa #urbanism theneworleans.ca/2025/08/04/m...

We can’t drive our way out of a climate crisis. The real solution isn't a better vehicle, it's a better neighborhood. Let's build for proximity and community resilience. 🚗💨🔥 #LessCar #Urbanism #ClimateAction