Article: Nadia Ouellette, CGOWCA Environment Committee Photo credit: Dave Keys
Fall is upon us, and we will soon witness the migration of the Monarch butterfly. From September to October, Eastern Monarchs begin their long migration from Canada to Mexico. These amazing insects will fly over 4000 km (2500 miles) to central Mexico. On average they can fly 100 miles per day and one single Monarch was documented to fly 250 miles in one day!
There are typically four to five generations of Monarchs per year. The fall adult population, tasked with this long journey to Mexico, can live up to nine months. They live over winter as adults then lay eggs in Mexico. These eggs become generation one, who will migrate north and lay new generations of eggs along the way. This is considered one of the marvels of nature as these insects are migrating long distances to a land they have never seen before. They inherently know which direction to travel.
Unfortunately, the population of this majestic insect has declined by 90% since the 1990s. Agriculture and urban development have destroyed habitat and food required to sustain the travelling Monarchs. Heavy use of herbicides and pesticides are also destroying the plants needed to feed Monarch’s and killing the insects themselves.
What can we do? As with most butterflies, the caterpillar stage can only eat from specific plants. The host plant for the Monarch is milkweed. Ontario is lucky to have a variety of beautiful native milkweeds. To help preserve the Monarch, it’s important to plant milkweeds in your garden. Having other native plants available to feed the adult butterfly is also important for their survival.
Creating a Monarch Garden | Monarch Teacher Network Presentation
Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 7:30 PM / Hall A, Bob Macquarrie Rec Complex FREE (Donations welcome)
We are pleased to announce that we are hosting The Monarch Teacher Network for a lecture on “Creating a Monarch Garden”. Please join us Thursday September 26th, 7:30 pm at Bob MacQuarrie, Hall A for a complementary community discussion on how your garden can help the Monarch.
Cheryl Turpin, Crossing Guard, Convent Glen Catholic School
Hello everyone! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Cheryl Turpin. I am the morning crossing guard (last year the afternoon guard) at the corner of Jeanne d’Arc and Fortune. I want to share some important information about pedestrian safety and the ongoing construction in our area.
Pedestrian Safety Rules
It’s crucial for drivers to understand and follow the rules regarding pedestrian crosswalks. According to Ontario’s regulations, it is against the law, with fines up to $2000, for any vehicle to enter, encroach upon, or drive through a crosswalk when it is occupied. This means waiting until all occupants, including children, crossing guards, adults, dogs, bikes, etc., are safely on the sidewalk before proceeding1. I will stand in front of your car with my sign if you attempt to enter the crosswalk. Please obey the law. If you have an issue, contact the Ottawa Safety Council. Please ensure your kids know that they will be required to walk their bikes across the crosswalk and the same with scooters.
You may have noticed the construction at our intersection. After speaking with the Project Manager, Kyle Delaney, I can report the following updates:
A temporary crosswalk will be located 30 feet to the right of the current location (toward the fire station) with overhead signals that are pedestrian-controlled. These are not traffic lights; the current lights will remain in use until they are replaced by the temporary ones.
Two construction flaggers will be monitoring and controlling the flow of traffic.
There will be two weeks of digging sidewalks and streets for the installation of a large sewer line and new catch basins.
Existing gravel will be graded and maintained until temporary sidewalks are installed.
Current light signals will stay in place until the temporary signals are installed.
Join us on September 8, 2024, between 11 and 2 for our annual Community BBQ! Activities and food will be provided for free. Golden Fries will be serving lunch, the Girl Guides will host a craft table, we’ll have amazing face painting, lawn games, live music and more.
Starting this month, the intersection of Jeanne d’Arc and Fortune / Vineyard is having the signalized intersection removed and replaced with a roundabout. This construction is planned to start in August 2024, and should be wrapped up summer 2025 to coincide with the opening of the LRT East Extension.
Save the date! The CGOWCA Annual Community BBQ will take place on SundaySeptember 8thin the Convent Glen Plaza parking lot by the Golden Fries food truck. More details to follow in the September newsletter.
Repair Café Recap
Gillian Cantello, CGOWCA Environment Committee
On June 2nd, the CGOWCA Environment Committee hosted Orleans’ first ever Repair Cafe at the Orleans United Church on Orleans Boulevard. It was so successful; we hope to make it an annual event. Repair cafes originated in the Netherlands in 2007 and are an important way for communities to reduce their carbon footprint.
At our Repair Cafe, volunteer fixers and menders from our community assisted other community members with the repair of bikes, computers, household items and textiles. In total, 56 broken items were brought in, the large majority of which were repaired on site. It was a fabulous example of neighbours helping neighbours and a wonderful opportunity to share valuable skills and knowledge, while keeping broken items and worn clothing out of our landfills. At the event, visitors were treated to coffee, tea, and tasty baked goods lovingly made by members of the CGOWCA Environment Committee.
The repairers were:
Sewists: Denise Jean, Maria Fleming and Raewyn Khosla
Bike repairers: John Gibson of re-Cycles used bicycle shop and Sean Wilson
Computer repairers: Paul Begin and Charlie Cox of the Community Computer Refurbishment Program
General repairers: John Looper; Claude Phaneuf; Matthieu St-Arnaud; James McGuire and Stephen Delahunt
All the repairers went above and beyond to fix whatever item happened to be brought to their table.
Many thanks to the Orleans United Church, who made sure that volunteers and visitors had everything they needed before, during and after the event. Also, a big thank you to the Repair Cafe sponsors: Tebcal Cleaners, Crowne Pointe Animal Hospital, and Art of Bean Coffee Shop. It could not have been possible without their generous support.
Consider Joining the CGOWCA Board!
September is the month when the CGOWCA meets to host our Annual General Meeting. Both to review what was accomplished in the last year and to look ahead to what’s next. One of the pieces of business each year is to elect the volunteer Board of Directors. The CGOWCA needs YOU!
What are the responsibilities of a board member? The main ask is that you attend monthly board meetings (virtual) and contribute to discussions and decision-making regarding events, advocacy and more.
Once you feel more comfortable with the basics, Board Members are encouraged to help organize an event (like the Community BBQ or the Winter Carnival) or to lead something that is meaningful to you. The Dog Walkathon was spearheaded by a former board member. So was the free Yoga in the Park! Maybe you have a cause or activity that is your jam that you’d like to share with your neighbours?
Other ways to support the work of the Board are to take on an executive role such as Secretary or Treasurer which involves some work before, after or in between board meetings. Or maybe you have amazing people skills, and you’d like to coordinate other volunteers who are helping at events. Or are you connected to local businesses and able to seek out sponsorships for events or ongoing work of the Association?
There are many options! If any of these ideas sound interesting, please reach out to the Board at conventglenorleanswood@gmail.com to let them know and start a conversation.
Join us for another year of free outdoor yoga close to home! Every Wednesday evening in July and August, there will be a session (weather permitting). If there are cancellations due to weather conditions, updates are posted on the CGOWCA Facebook group.
Where: Décarie Park, behind Orleans Wood Elementary School
Time: 7-8pm
Other Details: Open to all levels, bring your yoga mat or a towel
I joined the CGOWCA board last fall with the goal of helping the community transition to the vision outlined in the Ottawa official plans. The plans, especially the Transportation Master and the Orléans Corridor Secondary Plan (pending final approval) have the potential to bring a lot of positive changes to our community by making it more affordable, safer and more accessible and improve livability while improving the financial position of the city. One of the goals of these plans is the move away from car transportation towards other modes of transportation such as public transportation and active transportation.
Active transportation is actively tied to a lot of issues that we face today. Many housing developments are stopped because of concerns over traffic and parking. The cost of car ownership, estimated at an average over $1300 per month per car and rising by Ratehub, is an important factor in cost of living if people do not have viable alternatives. City finances are decimated by the cost of car infrastructure and the spread of our city. Active transportation can also have significant impacts on public health and help mitigate climate change. Children are often prevented from playing outside because of the danger of cars and are unable to go anywhere because it is not safe to do so. There are many reasons to enable active transportation.
In anticipation of budget conversations over the summer into the fall, I decided that it would be a good idea to gather data on active transportation habits, desires and opinions within the community. The city and Councillors need data to support their budget demands and priorities. I designed a short survey to get a sense of how people see and experience active transportation in our community. I also seek input on how to improve the experience for those who already use active transportation and identify issues that prevent people from doing so.
The survey is designed to be filled out by individual users and not households. If you are interested in sharing your opinion on active transportation, it would be best to fill out the survey for every member of your household including children which is why the survey does not require any identifiable information. I plan on using email addresses (for those who choose to provide them) to mobilize engagement on various projects that will emerge in Orléans.
If you are interested in active transportation and urbanist issues in Orléans, I have a blog that I use to formulate and communicate my opinions on various topics. I have a series on active transportation in the north of Orléans focused on four priorities:
I look forward to working with the community to help improve the active transportation experience in Orléans.
CGOWCA Bridge Committee Update
After having had to contend with several unforeseen setbacks, we are more than pleased to announce that our new website: www.nogreenbeltbridge.com is up and running and contains the latest information available to us. Please visit it and tell us what you think!
You can reach the Bridge Committee at cgnbridgecommittee@gmail.com. You are welcome to add your name to our database so that we can better keep you in the loop. Here’s to a great summer and a bridge-free future!
City Budget Survey
From the Newsletter of Councillor Laura Dudas
While many of us are still making plans for what to do this summer with the family, this is also the time that City departments begin to draft their proposed budgets for the next year. The summer is when staff shift gears and gather projections on what funding and budgets, as well as identify evolving needs, whether it be City services, infrastructure upgrades, transportation improvements or maintenance.
As this work is just starting, I want to hear from you. I want to hear about your priorities as we look ahead to 2025, ensuring that I am fighting for the things our community needs and deserves. Please take the time to fill in the survey on my website and let me know what matters most to you.
