Caring Cities Archives

28 01, 2026

Building Power to Shape a Climate-Equitable Caring City

Cata Jurado2026-01-28T12:22:05-05:00

Join Ecology Ottawa and Us for This Workshop Series People with wealth, and specifically homeowners, are historically over-represented in City Planning consultations and civic engagement. This workshop series is intended to support those who are underrepresented in city planning decisions: low- and moderate- income folks, renters, people with disabilities, newcomers, Indigenous people, and other marginalized identities. Are you looking to influence change in your neighbourhood? Are you impacted by unreliable transit? Do you need better insulation in your apartment to lower your bills and be resilient to extreme weather events? Have you witnessed a loss of trees with new developments? [...]

Building Power to Shape a Climate-Equitable Caring CityCata Jurado2026-01-28T12:22:05-05:00

2 12, 2025

This Giving Season, Help Us Give the Gift of Stability

Cata Jurado2025-12-02T08:21:26-05:00

Hi friend, It’s Giving Tuesday and we’re excited to launch our first ever Giving Season campaign anchored in a simple, powerful message: give the gift of stability. For over two decades, City for All Women Initiative (CAWI) has been a home for community-led change in Ottawa. From our early days co-creating accessible civic engagement workshops with newcomer women, to influencing gender-responsive budgeting at City Hall, to supporting grassroots leaders navigating neighbourhood issues - from transit to safety to flourishing public spaces - CAWI has always been rooted in one belief: When communities have stability, they can thrive. This year alone, CAWI [...]

This Giving Season, Help Us Give the Gift of StabilityCata Jurado2025-12-02T08:21:26-05:00

20 11, 2025

CAWI’s Transit Therapy Line Preliminary Results
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CAWI’s Transit Therapy Line Preliminary Results

Cata Jurado2025-11-20T15:50:08-05:00

You're speaking, we're listening. Preliminary results from CAWI’s Transit Therapy Line are in, and the message is clear: We need reliable, accessible and affordable public transit in Ottawa. "Unreliable transit is making living with a disability even harder." "I’m spending less time with my children because we all need to leave the house earlier to get to school or work." [Increase in travel time] "I’m needing to take a full day off work just to get to one medical appointment." [Increase in travel time] 97% of participants surveyed have said new ways to bus transit has not improved transit in [...]

CAWI’s Transit Therapy Line Preliminary ResultsCata Jurado2025-11-20T15:50:08-05:00

21 10, 2025

Join us for CAWI’s Action Forum: Cities as Places & Spaces of Care
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Join us for CAWI’s Action Forum: Cities as Places & Spaces of Care

Cata Jurado2025-10-21T15:39:47-04:00

Join us for CAWI’s Action Forum: Cities as Places & Spaces of Care Good news! It’s time for CAWI’s Action Forum, and you’re invited. This year, we are coming together for Cities as Places and Spaces of Care, an evening of reflection, creativity, and dialogue. Together, we will explore how to reimagine Ottawa as a city that embodies care and places the daily needs and rhythms of residents at the heart of planning and policy. Here is what you can look forward to: Creative exploration and storytelling Co-designing through countermapping Learning how to bring the Caring Cities movement to Ottawa [...]

Join us for CAWI’s Action Forum: Cities as Places & Spaces of CareCata Jurado2025-10-21T15:39:47-04:00

9 10, 2025

Participatory Gendered Budgeting Workshop
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Participatory Gendered Budgeting Workshop

Cata Jurado2025-10-09T09:27:56-04:00

Participatory Gendered Budgeting Workshop Since 2008, the City for All Women Initiative (CAWI) has worked with residents to understand and influence the city budget through community workshops, training, and advocacy. Our annual Participatory Gendered Budgeting workshop continues this important work. This workshop is a space where community members can learn how the city budget works and how we can have a say in where public money goes. Participatory budgeting is about people coming together to make decisions, share ideas, and push for equitable use of public funds. This year, we will be guided by the Care Lens - a way [...]

Participatory Gendered Budgeting WorkshopCata Jurado2025-10-09T09:27:56-04:00

23 07, 2025

The Civic Care Collective – Sneak Preview of new CAWI Circle!
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The Civic Care Collective – Sneak Preview of new CAWI Circle!

Cata Jurado2025-08-11T13:51:16-04:00

On July 14th, we launched our newest Circle, The Civic Care Collective! Over the past year, we’ve been hearing from many of you (CAWI friends and members) that you would like to put back on your peach scarves and head over to City Hall! We heard you and will be starting up a circle to track and watch what’s happening at City Hall. As a collective, we will review committee and council agendas, attend Council meetings in-person or virtually, report back, and jump into action when issues arise that impact our lives. We want to bring transparency to the actions at [...]

The Civic Care Collective – Sneak Preview of new CAWI Circle!Cata Jurado2025-08-11T13:51:16-04:00

22 07, 2025

How Is the New Bus System Working for You? We’re Listening.
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How Is the New Bus System Working for You? We’re Listening.

Cata Jurado2025-08-11T13:51:59-04:00

OC Transpo implemented a New Way to Bus on April 27. This is one of the most significant changes to Ottawa’s bus network in years. These changes can affect daily routines in real and personal ways, especially for workers, paid and unpaid, who rely on transit to get to their jobs on time and support and take care of their loved ones. That is why we are gathering stories, feedback, and experiences directly from transit users. What you share with us will be compiled and submitted directly to OC Transpo and the City of Ottawa. Our goal is to make sure community voices are heard loud and [...]

How Is the New Bus System Working for You? We’re Listening.Cata Jurado2025-08-11T13:51:59-04:00

11 06, 2025

Bill 6 received Royal Assent at the Ontario Legislature. Take action with CAWI.
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Bill 6 received Royal Assent at the Ontario Legislature. Take action with CAWI.

Cata Jurado2025-08-11T13:52:42-04:00

The Safer Municipalities Act introduces new penalties that criminalize people living in poverty and experiencing housing instability. It targets people with mental health challenges and those who use substances, while failing to offer the support proven to save lives and reduce harm. We believe that true public safety comes from housing, dignity, and income security. Criminalization does not solve systemic injustice. It makes it harder for people to feel safe, supported, or connected to their communities. That is why CAWI, in partnership with local organizations, is sending a letter to Mayor Mark Sutcliffe urging him to speak out against Bill 6 [...]

Bill 6 received Royal Assent at the Ontario Legislature. Take action with CAWI.Cata Jurado2025-08-11T13:52:42-04:00

29 05, 2025

CAWI’s Submission to the Gender Housing Justice Review Panel

Cata Jurado2025-07-22T12:10:50-04:00

The City for All Women Initiative (CAWI) is proud to have contributed to the Gender Housing Justice Review Panel, a national human rights review examining Canada’s failure to uphold the right to housing for women and gender diverse people. Our submission, Finding a Unicorn, responds to the panel’s open call for testimonials. Grounded in local data and the lived experiences of our members, CAWI’s submission exposes how systemic barriers and the feminization of poverty continue to drive housing precarity. We outline key recommendations including stronger tenant protections, investment in women and gender diverse led housing, expansion of non-market housing, and integrated [...]

CAWI’s Submission to the Gender Housing Justice Review PanelCata Jurado2025-07-22T12:10:50-04:00