(On February 28, 2026, the Coldest Night of the Year walk took place in Stittsville. 110 walkers departed the Community Bible Church to walk their chosen distance of 5km or 2km down Stittsville Main in support of Lionhearts Ottawa Inc. Photos: Stittsville Central)
The Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) takes place across Canada in 190 Canadian communities. This Canada-wide fundraising initiative supports local charities who serve people in our communities. The walk is meant to draw attention to issues people face when experiencing homelessness and hunger during our Canadian winters.
On February 28th, the CNOY walk took place in Stittsville. Organized locally by Lionhearts Inc., it encourages participants to brave the elements as someone homeless would experience and walk either 2km or 5km. This year the venue changed to the Community Bible Church on Stittsville Main Street from where over 110 walkers departed for their chosen distance. They returned to the Church to a hot Chili meal prepared and served by the Church members.
There were over 110 walkers registered, with a total of 14 teams, Councillor Glen Gower was just one of the teams. He supported Lionhearts by participating with his team and raised a whopping $4,227 towards the cause. His team was named the Lionhearts ‘Top Team’. Next were Lionhearts Ottawa raising $3,920, then Community Bible Church $2,440. There are no winners in this walk, except those who are receiving assistance from Lionhearts.
To date, over $21,000 has been raised, 53% of the Lionhearts goal of $40,000. Donations will be welcomed until March 31st on the Lionhearts website.
Sponsors of the walk included: Teen Challenge Canada (Renfrew Branch); Ben Kennedy Mortgage Broker; Gillian Sims Insurance Agency Inc.; 2450 Solutions; Family Radio CHRI Radio; Vanier Community Church; Starbucks on Iber Road; and, COBS Kanata South.
And, of course, any event is not successful without volunteers and the walk is no exception. Lionhearts were pleased to see 31 volunteers come forward to assist with the success of this event this year.
Lionhearts will be hosting next year’s walk to help our city’s most vulnerable while bringing residents together.