Hello ORLÉANS!

Welcome to the 51st edition of Orléans Connect. As always, welcome new subscribers! 👋

With the warmer weather upon us, the Rideau Canal closed yesterday for the season, after being open for 56 days! That was 4 days longer than last year. Did you know the longest season ever for the Rideau Canal was 95 days? It was back in the winter of 1971-72.

This week we have a new Food Spot Review of a restaurant that really surprised me with how amazing it was! 🍳Read the full review here. 🥞

As always, don’t forget to check out this week’s poll below ⬇️ - today we’re asking: What’s your favourite place to get Ice Cream in Orléans?🍦

Here’s everything going on in Orléans over the next 7 days…

Here’s our roundup of upcoming events:

🚨 March 5th - The Chapel Hill North Community Association is hosting an Introductory Information Session on the Neighbourhood Watch Program at the Orléans Branch of the Ottawa Public Library (Salle Bériault) at 6:30 PM.
📍1705 Orléans Blvd
📝 March 6th - Scribbles & Scrawls: Cumberland Writers Group from 10 AM - 12 PM - drop-in program at the Ottawa Public Library (Cumberland Branch). Participants discuss all things writing, be it highlighting their work, exchanging feedback or above all else, sharing their passion for the craft.
📍1599 Tenth Line
🎶 March 6th - Live tunes with Cory Ell, at Stray Dog Brewing Company. Cory will be sharing his 80s and 90s Canadian tunes, from 6-9 PM. Come sing along - no cover required!
📍501 Lacolle Way, Unit 4
🎼 March 6th - Musical Bingo is on at Taproom260 from 8:30-10 PM. It’s 80s and 90s musical theme! Grab your friends, sing along and win some awesome prizes!
📍260 Centrum Blvd
⚜️ March 7th - FrancoFUN est de retour à Béatrice-Desloges! Une journée amusante et 100% francophone - 9h - 14h. Des structures gonflables, spectacle pour enfants, un film francophone, activités artistiques et sportives, vente de livres, et encore plus de surprises! Procurez-vous vos Billets.
📍1999 Ave Provence
💵💚 March 7th - Learn about climate-aware finances, banking and insurance at Climate and Your Cash from 10 AM - 12:30 PM. If you are concerned about the impacts of climate change on your personal finances, products that support the fossil fuel industry, and divest from financial and want to explore opportunities to re-invest for returns and positive impacts. 🎟️Tickets $10.
📍École secondaire publique Gisèle-Lalonde, 500 Millennium Blvd
🍨 March 7th - Chris’s Ice Cream Pop-Up from 11 AM - 6 PM. Try this fabulous local ice cream maker’s tasty treats! Flavours for this pop-up are: Toasted Marshmallow, Caramel Latte, Chilli Chocolate and Raspberry Sorbet.
📍Farm Boy, 2030 Tenth Line Rd
📖 March 8th - Special Robert Munsch themed Family Story Time, at 11 AM at the Cumberland Branch of the Ottawa Public Library
📍1599 Tenth Line
✨ March 8th - Boston Pizza Orléans is hosting a Vision Board Workshop at 11 AM. Reserve your space here.
📍3884 Innes Rd
💜 March 8th - A special edition of Trivia to celebrate International Women’s Day at Stray Dog Brewing Company. Trivia starts at 7 PM. Email [email protected] now to secure your team’s spot!
📍501 Lacolle Way, Unit 4

🗓️ SAVE THE DATES! 🗓️

🎶 90s Hip Hop Party on Sat, March 14th at 9 PM, featuring Deejay Nash at Connor’s Irish Pub.
💗 Café Amore is hosting Coffee and Cannolis with Rent a Daughter Canada. Join for an intimate and welcoming conversation about caring for a loved one on Thur, March 19th from 6:30 - 7:30PM at Café Amore. Register here.
🫜 Learn everything you need to know to make your community garden a reality in the Ottawa Region at this upcoming virtual workshop: “How to Start a Community Garden Workshop”, hosted by JustFood Ottawa on Tues, March 24th, from 6:30 - 8:30 PM.
🏳️‍🌈 The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is hosting Affirm - a Virtual Parent and Caregiver Information Program on Tuesdays from March 24th to April 12th from 12:30-2 PM, to support confidence and skill building to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth. Spaces are limited - Register Here.
🌲 Wild Roots Nature and Forest School is hosting The Forest Studio - a seasonal gathering for adults rooted in nature and creativity. Events hosted around the solstices and equinoxes, and include forest bathing, movement, creative invitations, intention-setting, warm tea, fireside snacks and time to reconnect. Upcoming dates include Sat, Mar 28th at Macskimming Outdoor Education Centre, and Sat, June 20th at Petrie Island. Learn more here.
🐣 Hop Into Spring at the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum on April 4th from 9 AM - 3 PM. Advanced registration required.

🍀 St. Patrick’s Day 🍀

Looking for an opportunity to celebrate Irish heritage and culture? Here’s your roundup of local St Patrick’s Day celebrations:

Gear up for St Patrick’s Day with St Practice Day - Broadhead Brewery’s annual green-and-gold celebration on Sat, March 14th. Curbside Decisions takes the stage at 1 PM, and Rusty Breezes brings the party at 6 PM.
Moose McGuire’s is hosting St Practise Day on Sat, March 14th, starting at 5 PM with SFH School of Irish Dance. Late night live music and dancing, tunes by Where’s Waldo Band gets started at 9 PM! No cover.
Orléans Brewing Company is hosting St Patrick’s Day in the Taproom on Sat, March 14th, starting at 12 PM. Live entertainment by DJ Geoff Paquet and Joe Unsupervised.
Join the Cumberland Lions Club for a Saint Patrick’s Day Party on Sat, March 14th - Entertainment by Robin Averill - doors open at 5:30 PM for dinner, show only doors open at 6:45 PM. Dinner and Show - $35 / person - Show only - $20 / person. Tickets available now.
The Orléans Legion is hosting their St Patrick’s Day Bash from 11 AM - 6 PM on Tues, March 17th. Live music with Malcolm Parsons and Bonita Leblanc. Open to everyone, no cover charge.
Join for a massive St Patrick’s Day Party at The Royal Oak Pub. Live music is on all day, starting at NOON on Tues, March 17th! Lots of specials, plenty of Irish fare available, Guinness and Harp on tap, Jameson’s Irish Whiskey, Irish cocktails and of course GREEN BEER!
St Patrick’s Day at Stray Dog with Redial and Friends, on Tues, March 17th, from 2-10 PM at Stray Dog Brewing Company.
Head over to Taproom260 on Tues, March 17th to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. There will be live music featuring Ryan MacIntyre. Book your table now!

Do you have an event you want to see featured here? Let us know!

📰 News you should know about…

🕑 Don’t forget: Daylight Saving time begins on Sunday, March 8th at 2 AM, with clocks moving forward one hour. (Global News)

🏢 Development with 1,500 residential units,136 parking spaces proposed for Orléans (CTV News)

🌱 Support the Blackburn Hamlet FunFair’s Big Yellow Bag Fundraiser! You can save $30 per bag on premium soil or mulch, while also supporting the Blackburn Community Association. Get a head start on gardening season and place your order now!

🌱Are you having to commute, and looking for active and sustainable travel options such as carpooling, transit, cycling and walking? Check out Ottawa Ride Match!

⛸️🙏 Thank you to the incredible volunteers who dedicate countless hours to keeping our outdoor rinks running all winter long! The volunteers were celebrated by a recent breakfast event, hosted by the City of Ottawa and Myers Automotive Group. Check out the photos on Councillor Laura Dudas’ Facebook post.

📰 Councillor Catherine Kitts (Ward 9) recently released her February newsletter.

💰 It’s TAX SEASON! Free tax clinics are available (for those who qualify) through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program. Learn more.

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT 🔦

This week’s Orléans business spotlight is… 🥁 … Eggspress located at 1675 Tenth Line Rd.📍

Eggspress is a franchise with 11 other locations (all in Quebec) that offers amazing breakfast, brunch, and lunch options that are shockingly good. With an expansive menu, terrific ambiance, and some of the best service you’ll get anywhere in Orléans, Eggspress is well worth checking out!

Check out our full review of Eggspress here.

As always, if you wind up visiting them, make sure to tell them Orléans Connect sent you.

The Ottawa Police are refusing to participate in the federal Assault-Style firearms compensation program. The reason given:

❝

“An operational assessment of the program’s requirements, including appointment-based collection, verification, secure handling, short-term storage, administration, and system access, found that OPS cannot sustain the level of resourcing needed to participate while maintaining capacity for core policing priorities.”