Fiddlehead Commons is creating a fun, livable cohousing space near Ottawa for individuals and families who value inclusivity and community. This will be a multigenerational community, situated in Almonte, an historic town of Lanark County.

The core group is seeking households of diverse ages, family sizes, and backgrounds to join them in exploring and creating their future home!

The group is guided by their chosen core values of:

Caring · Environmental Responsibility
· Trust · Joy and Openness

The Mississippi River of Eastern Ontario courses through Almonte, supporting old mills, riverfront restaurants and walking trails. While it is within a 45 minute drive to Ottawa, Almonte has all the amenities needed to prosper independently, including its own hospital, high school, commercial district and a vibrant community life for its residents. The municipality of Mississippi Mills, in which Almonte is situated, is welcoming of cohousing.

The building(s) design will accommodate the needs of the members

The site choice and building design and layout will allow for engaging common areas and inclusion of agreed upon shared amenities.

Building types will be chosen based on the budget allowance and being amenable to a smooth development process. Each private residence will be fully sound insulated.

The community will

Accommodate 15 - 25 households
Govern themselves using Sociocracy, equitable and efficient decision making
Locate within a walk or bike-able distance of town amenities
Will include outdoor space and gardens on site
May include a mix of different building conformities

Current stage of project

Fiddlehead Commons has grown to a core group of 5 committed households
Core members are fine tuning their collective vision and determining criteria for suitable sites
Setting up organizational components for future project work
Planning Recruitment activities to attract new exploring households
Visits with local cohousing groups, deepening connections and gathering intel on what is the secret sauce for successful community building.

Meet our members

Get to know a bit about the folks of

Fiddlehead Commons Cohousing Community!

Janet & Tom Hilliard

Tom and Janet are avid travellers, and enjoy gardening, kayaking, fishing, outdoor and indoor games, participating in community theatre, trying new foods and socializing. Janet also paints and Tom brews and kegs beer. They are excited to be part of Fiddlehead Commons, and are looking forward to creating their new community.

Don Pettit

I have built a crazy little house that I have been puttering away at for a long time in northeast BC where I currently live. It generates most of its own electricity, collects water, it’s heated with wood and a heat pump, grows organic vegetables, and is in many ways wonderful.

But, alas, I find myself alone here. Now it is time to move back to Ontario, my homeland, where all of my dear family lives in the Ottawa, Kingston, Gananoque area. I see cohousing as the perfect model to cure my aloneness, share my passion for sustainability, and live in a group of likeminded folks of all ages. What could be more ideal? And beautiful Almonte is the perfect place to do it!”

P.S. I will also bring with me my most wonderful cat and dear friend Pineapple.

Ian Baker

After retiring from a career in Information Systems project management I’ve developed a keen interest in home construction. With the help of several great mentors, I built our house and now look forward to participating in the design and finishing of our next home. More recently I’ve been working as a handyman for several clients in town doing house maintenance and small renovation jobs. Now that we’re involved in cohousing, I’m enjoying learning about sociocracy, looking forward to making new friends, learning from their experiences and building a close knit, supportive community.

Catherine Baker

I enjoy tackling a complicated knitting pattern, choosing fabrics for a new quilt or finishing one I’ve worked on for a year. I like reading, especially by a fire. My idea of communing with nature is a long soak in our hot tub in the woods. I’m looking forward to potluck dinners in a common space I helped to design and knitting uncomplicated patterns while I visit with fellow Fiddleheads over coffee. And eating Nancy’s vegetables and getting to know Don’s cat.

Bernie & Anne Range

Retired life finds us outdoors, hiking, paddling, gardening, snowshoeing or skiing. Making music, weaving, painting and woodworking are hobbies that continue to add pleasure and creativity. Always up for a good game of crokinole, book-club, birding or a potluck dinner, we are looking forward to the vibrant co-housing Fiddlehead community. We are particularly interested in creating a sustainable, resource-sharing, nature-focused place to live. Many hands make light work, …and fun!

Shane Dunne & Nancy Mucklow

Shane and Nancy like to get involved with local traditional and folk music, especially sessions and song circles. You can also often see them hiking, kayaking, or hitting up the Saturday markets. Shane is a certified computer nerd, and Nancy is into vegetable and berry gardening. They’re both looking forward to the village life of cohousing., including sharing common meals, chatting on the veranda, and creating our own festivals and traditions.

Want to explore our group?

Send us an email, at
Fiddleheadcommons@gmail.com

find us on social media

insta

Or Attend our upcoming Info Session

On Weds, April 23, 2025

For a bit more educational info about cohousing,
we've chosen to offer a link to the video below:

'Whole ecovillage fits inside giant greenhouse'

Fiddlehead Commons is creating a fun, livable cohousing space near Ottawa for individuals and families who value inclusivity and community. This will be a multigenerational community, situated in Almonte, an historic town of Lanark County.

​

The core group is seeking households of diverse ages, family sizes, and backgrounds to join them in exploring and creating their future home!

​

The group is guided by their chosen core values of:

Caring · Environmental Responsibility · Trust · Joy and Openness

The building(s) design will accommodate the needs of the members

The site choice and building design and layout will allow for engaging common areas and inclusion of agreed upon shared amenities.

​

Building types will be chosen based on the budget allowance and being amenable to a smooth development process. Each private residence will be fully sound insulated.

The community will

​

Accommodate 15 - 25 households

Govern themselves using Sociocracy, equitable and efficient decision making

Locate within a walk or bike-able distance of town amenities​

Will include outdoor space and gardens on site

May include a mix of different building conformities

Current stage of project

Fiddlehead Commons has grown to a core group of 5 committed households

Core members are fine tuning their collective vision and determining criteria for suitable sites

Setting up organizational components for future project work

Planning Recruitment activities to attract new exploring households

Visits with local cohousing groups, deepening connections and gathering intel on what is the secret sauce for successful community building.