Over 100 CAFES members came out on December 8th to enjoy another wonderful seasonal Members' Event at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre!
This year's event was a great opportunity for us all to connect and discuss the future ahead together. Given that next year is a municipal election year, we discussed and heard what issues the CAFES network members want to see on the agenda.
The event featured an inspiring talk by Chair of the Board Jennifer Gautreau, an engaging presentation by Executive Director Angela Keller-Herzog, and three excellent presentations highlighting some of the incredible work accomplished by CAFES members this year - Jennifer Humphries (Glebe Community Association), Marianne Ariganello (OSEAN), and Carleton professor Sarah Gelbard with two students from this year's Carleton Community Engagement project on invasive species.
We enjoyed a delicious plant-based dinner catered by Caldwell Family Centre social enterprise, and leftover food was taken to a women's shelter. There were awesome raffle prizes, not to mention the beautiful Winter Quilt holiday cards for sale, hand-designed by our own CAFES volunteer Magdalene Carson! A special thank you to Andrea Balfour for being such an incredible MC for the evening, and to Jake Morrison for being our photographer. We also wanted to thank the amazing volunteers who came early to set up, stayed late to take down, and helped this evening run so smoothly.
We thoroughly loved celebrating all the work we have accomplished as a community network in 2025, thanks to the support of dedicated members like you.
If you have any feedback or ideas about how to further improve future CAFES Member Events, please email your thoughts to Mitzi MacDonald at info@cafesottawa.ca
Warm wishes to everyone this holiday season!
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Dear CAFES Members,
The CAFES Staff Team and Board of Directors warmly invite you to this year's Annual Member Event on Monday, December 8th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, Woodside Hall, 290 Lisgar Street in Ottawa.
This seasonal CAFES member event is a wonderful chance for us all to connect and discuss the future ahead together! Next year is a municipal election year -- what issues do we want to see on the agenda for that? We will also celebrate all the work we have accomplished as a community network in 2025, thanks to the support of dedicated members like you!
A delicious plant-based buffet dinner (with gluten-free options) is included, and we will have a by-donation bar. Admission is free, with contributions warmly appreciated. Please let us know if you will be coming by completing the RSVP form at the link below. If you have any questions about the event, please email Mitzi at info@cafesottawa.ca
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Don't miss your chance to order CAFES' original Winter Quilt holiday greeting cards! These beautiful cards were designed by talented CAFES member and volunteer, Magdalene Carson, and were inspired by a love of nature.
Your greeting card purchase will help support CAFES' work and will ensure you have a unique and locally designed/printed card to share good tidings with your family and friends this season.
Cards can be ordered individually or in multiples - discounts are applied when ordering 5 cards or more. Each card is 5" x 5", printed using plant-based inks on recycled post-consumer stock, and comes with an envelope. Cards are blank inside for you to write your own message. The back of the card has the CAFES logo and gives credit to the artist, Magdalene Carson, with the artwork title Winter Quilt.
The deadline to order is December 3rd, 2025. Orders will be available for pick up at the CAFES Member Event on December 8th, or arrangements can be made for you to pick up in Ottawa Centre for those who won't be at the member event. Orders will not be mailed or delivered.
By: Magdalene Carson
The CAFES network is delighted to welcome one our very latest new organizational members, the Wild Arts Collective (WAC). As we continue to grow our network in exciting new directions, this partnership with WAC is a way to strengthen environmental communication in Ottawa and to learn from the experience of others working in the arts and culture sector toward a sustainable future.
The WAC was formed in 2023 with a shared goal: to use art as a clear, accessible way to spark conversations about the environment. The eight Ottawa-based artists work in different mediums, united by the belief that creativity can move people toward practical, local environmental action.
Grounded in the idea of “think global, act local,” WAC focuses on issues that shape life in our city - for example, the protection of trees and green spaces, the risks of waste-to-energy incineration, and the shift toward renewable energy. WAC engages with broader concerns as well such as single-use plastics, consumption habits, and the everyday choices that either harm or help the planet.
Most of WAC’s current pieces take the form of 2×3-foot posters, inspired by Bill McKibben’s insight that "the poster is where art meets organizing most powerfully". WAC's work aims to meet people where they are — in cafés, markets, and community spaces — and hopes to open a moment of curiosity and reflection.
Since then, WAC has shared their work in several venues and community events, including gallery cafés and neighbourhood gatherings. Their current exhibit is on display at Happy Goat Coffee Co. in Sandy Hill and runs until the end of December 2025. Several additional exhibits across Ottawa are planned for the coming months, including a new series focused on reducing plastic use. WAC also includes musicians, and they plan to explore sound-based environmental work in upcoming projects.
Learn more about WAC by visiting their website.
PS. If you are curious about who all are organizational members of the growing CAFES network, Mitzi regularly updates the list at this obscure but public-facing spot on the website: https://chrisl335.sg-host.com/about/organizational-members/
On Saturday, October 18th, 2025, CAFES, the Mechanicsville Community Association and MP Yasir Naqvi are planting 50 new native tree saplings at our Mother's Day Woods site at Tunney's Pasture! We are looking for volunteers to help out - all are welcome, no prior planting experience required. Planting equipment and snacks will be provided.
Date: Saturday, October 18th, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location: Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa - we are meeting in the field between Goldenrod Driveway and Kitchi Zibi Mikan, on the North end of the Tunney's Pasture area. We will have signs put up to direct where to go.
Parking: There is a paid visitor parking lot at the corner of Parkdale Avenue and Goldenrod Driveway, near the Brooke Claxton Building. Alternatively, there is street parking on Emmerson Avenue, and on other nearby streets in the Mechanicsville neighbourhood.
This project is part of CAFES' annual Tree Initiative to increase tree canopy in Ottawa neighbourhoods that need trees the most. Read all about the Tree Give-Away we organized earlier this year on Mother's Day weekend to encourage kids and families to plant trees on private properties in the city. This planting event on October 18th is planned as a follow-up activity to support Ottawa residents to participate in tree stewardship.
Thank you to TD Friends of the Environment for your generosity in making this project possible. Thank you to MP Yasir Naqvi for your continued annual partnership with CAFES on tree planting in Ottawa. Thank you to MPP Catherine McKenney for your support towards this event.
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On Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025 CAFES hosted a successful in-person community dialogue event in partnership with Councillor Marty Carr on the management of invasive plant species in Ottawa, at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre in Alta Vista. Thank you to Councillor Carr for your generous support towards this event, and thank you as well to Councillors Brockington, Menard, Hill, Johnson and Curry for your sponsorship.
This dialogue event followed Councillor Carr's staff inquiry at the February 18th, 2025 Environment and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) meeting to review the City's invasive species programming and community stewardship opportunities. Staff released a report in July 2025 outlining existing invasive species efforts, and plans to hire a new temporary staff position to focus on invasives programming, mapping and reporting, as well as community/stakeholder relationships. This item came to the September 16th ECCC meeting agenda, where CAFES gave a public delegation and presented the outcomes of the September 3rd dialogue.
To follow suit from Councillor Carr's inquiry, the dialogue event gathered community input on invasive species removal/management methods, public education, mapping and tracking, identifying species of concern, volunteer stewardship, and more. We had opening presentations, a community panel, breakout table conversations, table presentations, lunch, and networking.
Below are some of the most widely-shared ideas from the dialogue participants:
At the September 16th ECCC meeting, Councillor Carr gave a direction to staff to consider our report as community input.
Check out our final event report below, which details all the feedback received at the dialogue. You can also see our public delegation presentation, which presented the report. Lastly, you can see the report provided by City staff in response to Councillor Carr's inquiry.
Thank you to all the event volunteers who helped out, and thank you to the participants for sharing your input!
On Saturday, October 18th, the Mechanicsville Community Association in partnership with CAFES volunteers planted over 70 new native tree saplings at our Mother's Day Woods site at Tunney's Pasture! It was a glorious fall day. We were thrilled to share this exciting day with over 30 volunteers. Thank you so much for everyone who came out to help increase Ottawa's urban tree canopy!
This event is part of CAFES' annual tree programming to increase tree canopy in Ottawa neighbourhoods that need it most. Read all about the Give-Away we organized earlier this year on Mother's Day to encourage kids and families to plant trees in backyards.
Thank you to TD Friends of the Environment for your generosity in making this event possible. Thank you to MP Yasir Naqvi for your continued annual partnership with CAFES on tree planting in Ottawa, and to MPP Catherine McKenney for your support towards this event. Thank you to the City of Ottawa CEPGP.
Interested in becoming a tree steward? We are still looking for a few volunteers to return to the Tunney's Pasture planting site periodically to help water the new trees in the spring, summer and fall of 2026 using our on-site water tote. These trees will need weekly waterings next year to ensure their health and survival. If interested, please contact Erica at eshardlow@cafesottawa.ca. A huge thank you to those who have signed up so far.
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Mark your calendars for a powerful climate-themed performance coming to Ottawa in October!
CAFES is excited to bring to you Wanting to Start Again, a unique musical experience that addresses climate change concerns in a poignant and powerful violin-piano performance.
DoSi, a duo of exceptional musicians, pianist Tong Wang and violinist Maitreyi Muralidharan, will deliver this deeply moving program born out of the artists’ experience with the devastation of the Banff and Halifax wildfires, the climate crisis, immigrant stories, and discovering identity. This interactive concert featuring works by Fu-Tong Wong, Nick Bentz, Fazil Say, Joe Hisaishi/Wesley Chu and Kevin Lau, provides a space for audiences to reflect, sit with difficult emotions, and ask: how do we start again when we feel at our lowest?
DoSi will be touring through Ottawa from October 17-19th 2025 and CAFES is honoured to be co-hosting a number of performances - see below!
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Check out the trailer below! We can't wait to see you all there.
CAFES had a fantastic time tabling at the annual Carp Fair from September 25th to 28th!
The Carp Fair is a wonderful agricultural fair celebrating community, family, local artisans, farmers, businesses, and agricultural learning and education. This year's theme was "Celebrating Our Best", which was all about what can be created when we come together as a community.
CAFES enjoyed speaking with folks at the fair all about our climate and environmental advocacy work. We were partnered up with and right next to the Electric Vehi cle Council of Ottawa (EVCO), who had an EV Ford 150 Truck on display and answered all sorts of questions about electrical vehicles in Ottawa.
We had lots of fun handing out free snacks, and asking kids and families exciting environmental trivia questions with our spinning wheel. We even had solar powered popcorn, and coffee and tea powered by EVCO's electric truck!
CAFES has recently been expanding our membership network and community outreach/engagement into Ottawa's rural neighbourhoods, and the Carp Fair is always a wonderful opportunity to chat with our rural residents about transitioning to renewable energies and other climate-friendly actions.
We also want to give a huge thank you to the wonderful CAFES volunteers who helped out at this event!
On Saturday, August 16th CAFES spent a wonderful sunny afternoon at the Greater Avalon Community Association's 15th annual August Fun Fest!
Families, friends and neighbours living in the Greater Avalon area came out to the Aquaview Community Centre to enjoy a lively BBQ filled with tons of free activities for kids and adults, including face painting, bouncy castles, community BINGO, and a tree give-away by Ecology Ottawa.
CAFES was thrilled to set up our table and speak to folks in the neighbourhood about our environmental advocacy and community-building work. Thank you to GACA for a great time!
Join CAFES and our members Fridays for Future Ottawa, Seniors for Climate Action Now (SCAN), World Changing Kids and Ecology Ottawa for the Draw The Line March Saturday, September 20th, 2025!
Draw the Line is a national Day of Action taking place on September 20th in communities across Canada. In Ottawa, this action continues the tradition of a September climate march. The Day of Action is also part of a larger international movement calling for climate action and economic justice worldwide. You can find out more about the march and its demands here.
There will be separate start locations in Ottawa and Gatineau, but the contingents will converge in downtown Ottawa. The Ottawa contingent meets at 11 am on the corner of Elgin and Wellington, while the Gatineau contingent meets at 11 am at Maison du Citoyen.
Draw the Line has brought groups together from across different sectors, joining forces to take united action toward the shared call - "For People. For Peace. For the Planet".
In Ottawa, this united approach is bringing together a broad coalition to help organize the march. The growing coalition includes seniors groups, labour unions, student associations, faith organizations, environmental groups, and many others from across the Ottawa-Gatineau region. Working with so many other passionate, action-driven organizations has been an exciting experience, and we are looking forward to sharing more details with you as we get closer to the march.
If you are part of a group that wants to join, or you individually are interested in volunteering, organizing, or making a donation - join up! Email fridaysfutureottawa@gmail.com for all inquiries.
RSVP here to attend the March on September 20th!
