As the snow finally disappears, a new menace hits the streets ? bikers. Not the old Easy Rider, Harley-Davidson crowd, but well-groomed, otherwise law-abiding taxpayers who tune up their trusty old 10-speeds and prepare for another season of hair-raising misadventures and near-accidents on the streets and bicycle paths throughout the city.
While I must say right up front that yes, the vast majority of cyclists do not fall into the above category, and yes, I count myself as a cyclist...
Article online since April 17th 2009 )
Spring has arrived and I'm sure that most of us are very pleased. It's getting warmer and we can now shed a layer or two of winter clothing.
Even though the economy has slowed considerably, this is a time of hope and renewal and I hope we will maintain that optimism which comes so naturally...
About a dozen years after launching their project, members of the board of directors of the Empress Cultural Centre in NDG are keeping their fingers crossed, in anticipation of important news about construction funding from the federal and provincial governments coming through this year.
The board recently sent off an application to Quebec, and was last week completing one to Ottawa, for a total of around $9 million, to renovate and transform the former Empress Theatre/Cinema V on Sherbrooke...
History quiz: Mystery of Gate Keeper’s Lodge
By Doreen Lindsay
Tuesday 17 March 2009 Westmount Ind
The small white painted red brick,
stone house with the steeply inclined
metal roof sits on a triangle of land at the
corner of Rosemount Cres. (number 70)
and Mountain Ave. In trying to trace the
origins of this house, I first looked at
maps.
The small house is clearly marked on
the Charles A. Goad map of 1890.
The house is not on the 1868 Fortification
Survey from the National Archives of
Canada. In fact, there were only 50 residents
of Westmount listed in the 1868
Montreal Directory.
Rosemount Estate
The house was part of the original
Rosemount Estate. The estate is there in
all its glory. The directory shows the
houses built by John Young, now number
16 and 18 Severn, set in a thickly forested
area. Does that mean that the house did
not exist in 1868 or that it was too small to
be shown on a survey map?
A wide driveway, today’s Rosemount
Ave., is shown coming north from Sherbrooke
St., continuing in a large sweeping
curve west to Mountain Ave. where the
house stands. Then, the driveway turns
History quiz: Mystery of Gate Keeper’s Lodge
northeast and ends along the north side of
the Rosemount house.
Let us trace back the owners of the famous
Rosemount Estate. The first owner
of the land was William McGillivray, fur
trader, who purchased 154 arpents of the
Bouchard farm.
The second owner was Asa Goodenough,
the owner of the Exchange Coffee
House, an informal stock exchange on St.
Paul St. in Old Montreal.
He acquired the estate in 1843 and
named it Rosemount.
John Young
In 1852, John Young, who contributed
to the development of the harbour, bought
Rosemount to become the third owner.He
and his wife, Amelia Jane, had thirteen
children and liked to entertain. They
needed more space, so John Young demolished
the existing house to construct a
new grey stone one that is now 16 Severn
Ave. today.
He also enlarged his living space by
adding another three-story house to the
west, 18 Severn Ave. today. Could he have
built the Gate House at the same time as
he was enlarging his own? The stables on
the Rosemount Estate, built sometime in
the 1860s, are still standing at 52 and 60
Rosemount Ave. They were converted to
residential houses in 1917 and 1918.
On a recent tour of this house, the new
owners, Richard Ouellette and Maxime
Vandal, told me of their plans to incorporate
some of the dark grey stones retrieved
from a basement wall into an exterior
landscaped garden.
Thus the neighbours will be able to
view an otherwise hidden treasure. I admired
two original carved brackets at each
side of the bay window in the living room
and discovered that the beams supporting
the main part of the house were trunks of
trees.
The bark had been stripped but the
trees remain round, not squared.
This house has found new owners who
are charmed by its structure and dedicated
to bringing every feature, such as windows
and woodwork, back to its origins. Doreen Lindsay is
the president of the
Westmount Historical Association.
Westmount ? St. Louis MNA Jacques Chagnon is no fool. He knows that convincing voters to head back to the polls so soon after a federal election will be tough. The fact that a provincial election was held less than two years ago doesn't help either.
But he believes it is necessary.
?We should not be blind to what is going on below the border,? said Chagnon. ?Almost 80 per cent of what we produce leaves the province, either going to Ontario or the States. Imagine what will happen...
Saturday 01 November 2008 No rise in Westmount property taxes expected In spite of a devastating winter last year, which cost the City of Westmount $1.2 million more for snow removal, the City's 2008 financial picture looks good and tax bills next year will be at roughly the same level as in 2008.
In a financial position statement tabled at city hall last Monday in accordance with provincial law, Mayor Karin Marks said Westmount's 2008 picture looks "very positive." The City expects to finish this year with a net operating surplus of around $500,000, compared to nearly $798,000 last year.
However, she warned, "this projection could change between now and year-end, especially if we experience a higher-than-average snowfall or a major water main break."
Keeping local taxes in check while maintaining service levels has become "the number one priority for our 2009 budget planning," Marks said.
After five years of tax hikes between 2001 and 2006, averaging 10 per cent for homeowners, the City was able to limit increases to 2 and 2.5 per cent in 2007 and 2008. "It is Council's intention to keep 2009 local tax bills at roughly the same level as those sent out in 2008," Marks added.
Employees, elected officials and residents of Westmount bade their formal, often emotional farewells to Director General Bruce St. Louis on Monday evening as he attended his final city council meeting before his official retirement next week.
"I'm trying to think today, why has Bruce been so appreciated?" Mayor Karen Marks asked during an informal 'roast' held prior to the regular council meeting. Residents were invited to step forward and relate personal experiences they'd had with their...
Westmount’s finest One of my rare bouts with the flu prevented me from attending this week’s city council meeting, at which out-going Director General Bruce St. Louis was given a fitting tribute by City officials and residents alike. I had intended to add my own two cents to the public accolades and glowing testimonials, but it was just as well, for the outpouring from Mayor Marks, councillors and residents said it all.
Westmount voters got their first real chance to see and hear the candidates in the Sept. 8 federal by-election on Wednesday night at the traditional Meet the Candidates evening, put together by the Westmount Municipal Association and the Examiner.
Reaction, for the most part, was mixed.
Because...
The candidates
The Gazette
Marc Garneau Liberal
Age: 59
Background: Garneau earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London, England, before beginning his career in the Canadian navy in 1973, where he worked as a combat systems engineer. He was promoted to captain in 1986. Garneau became the first Canadian astronaut in 1984, flying a total of 677 hours in space during three missions. In 2001, he became president of the Canadian Space Agency, leading many complex projects. He is a companion of the Order of Canada.
Accomplishment: Garneau lists his biggest personal accomplishment as his family. He has four children. "That's what I'm most proud of."
Guy Dufort Conservative
Age: 65
Background: A graduate of the University of Western Ontario and Université de Montréal, Dufort has been a partner at Heenan Blaikie since 1973 specializing in labour and employment law. He has appeared before the Supreme Court, the Federal Court and all the lower courts. He was president of the Quebec wing of the Progressive Conservatives from 1994 to 1999 and ran for the Tories in 2000 in Hull-Aylmer. In December 2003, he chaired a meeting of the Progressive Conservatives that led to the formation of the Conservative Party.
Accomplishment: Dufort lists his family, two children, as his greatest accomplishment. Both are lawyers like him and his father before him.
Charles Larivée Bloc Québécois
Age: 22
Background: A graduate of Collège Jean de Brébeuf, Larivée earned a bachelor of arts in political science from McGill University, where he was the first francophone president of the political science students' association in the university's history. Since 2007, he has worked as an business development assistant for Larivée International. In 2004, he managed a student painting franchise.
Accomplishment: Larivée said one of his proudest accomplishments is his participation in an exercise in direct democracy like a by-election. It is his first federal campaign.
Anne Lagacé Dowson NDP
Age: 49
Background: Raised in Toronto, Lagacé Dowson moved to Montreal in 1987, living in Westmount and later Mile End. After studying sociology and women's studies at the University of Ottawa, she earned a masters of arts degree from Carleton in Canadian studies. The award-winning broadcaster was host of the CBC radio show Radio Noon. She is married to documentary film producer Brian McKenna. They have two daughters.
Accomplishment: "Tommy Douglas said, 'Courage, my friends. It is not too late to make a better world.' I think that in large part what I have been able to do in my life has been inspired by that motto. It applies to my life, my love and my children. I am proud to be part of that tradition."
Background: Hollywood-born son of actor Emile Genest, who played Napoléon Plouffe in the 1950s téléroman La Famille Plouffe. Genest is vice-president of the federal Greens in Quebec and has run for them in several elections. He is founder of the Green Mountain Permaculture Institute in Vermont, where he teaches. He hosted the CTV show Travel Travel and starred in the police drama Sirens. He was one of 230 Canadians chosen to be trained to deliver Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth slide show.
Accomplishment: "I made a commitment to teach, lead and inspire great green change. What I am most proud of is that my values and ethics, my passions and abilities are all aligned."
Genest’s roots are entrenched in Quebec, although he was born in Hollywood, California and he owns a home in Vermont, where he teaches at the University of Vermont as well as produces and hosts an Emmy-nominated TV show.
Growing up in a big shadow
Genest’s father was actor Emile Genest, one of the first French Canadians to make it in Hollywood. Emile got his start during the 1950s, when he was a leading character on the French Canadian television show Les Plouffe, a satire on life in Quebec. He was also a broadcaster in both languages for CBC radio, before the call of Hollywood, specifically a contract with Disney Studios, beckoned him west. There Emile and wife Anita became a family with the addition of their sons Claude William and Eric.
September 18th 2008 Genest spreads environmental message
Many Westmounters saw him in action at the Aug. 27 Meet the Candidates evening, and many more have seen his face on election posters throughout the riding. But just who is this Claude William Genest? And what motivated him to be so passionate about sustaining the environment that led to...
High society, 12,000 homeless
WESTMOUNT PROPER is only part of the picture in what is, in fact, a sprawling urban riding0
Friday Aug 8, 2008 An act of kindness - or a dirty plot?
JULY 21 marked the beginning of the end of weedy chaos in a community garden On or about the 21st day of July, 2008, in the city of Westmount, an offence - or a rare act of kindness - was committed by person or persons unknown. Weeks later, the good or dastardly deed was done again. more
Adam Desaulniers Westmount–Ville-Marie Liberal candidate and former
Canadian Space Agency chief Dr. Marc Garneau is back in the fray and there’s no
stopping him this time. Wooed back to the fold by Stéphane Dion after his 2006
loss in Vaudreuil–Soulanges, he’s taken the lessons of his political
baptism philosophically and during a recent visit to The Senior Times offices,
proved still earnest and passionate enough to give a frank opinion where more
battle-hardened veterans will stick to their talking points.
Tuesday Jul 8, 2008 No sacrificial lamb in Westmount
Veteran CBC Montreal broadcaster Anne Lagacé Dowson doesn't see herself as the New Democratic Party'...She is married to documentary film maker Brian McKenna and they have two children.
The Conservative candidate in Westmount is Guy Dufort, a lawyer with Heenan Blaikie.
The Green Party has nominated Claude Genest while the Bloc Québécois will be represented by Charles Larivée. Theoretically, in a tight race, Lagacé Dowson could win the riding with less than 30 per cent of the vote.
In the last election, the NDP polled 15 per cent of the vote in Westmount.
Guy Dufort, who is running for the Conservatives in an upcoming federal by-election in Westmount-Ville Marie, hopes to alleviate the plight of the homeless if elected, but also stands behind his party's 'get tough' stance on crime.
Although the by-election hasn't yet been announced, Prime Minister...
> Hello,
> My name is Claude William Genest. Deputy Leader of the Green Party and
> candidate in Westmount. I produce and host the Emmy nominated tv show
> "Regeneration - The Art of Sustainable Living", was one of 200
> Canadians chosen for personal training by Al Gore and I teach a system
> of ecological design called Permaculture for the University of
> Vermont. Your name was given to me by Megan Dunford after she heard me
> speak to a group of her friends. I would love to come speak with you all!
> Warm Regards,
> Claude
> Dear Mr. Genest,
> Thank you for your message. We would be delighted to have you join us
> for one of our Wednesday Night salons, as it is our tradition to
> invite each candidate at some point during the campaign. It would
> likely be of more interest for you sometime in August, or early
> September (depending, of course, on when the by-election is called) as
> many of our "regulars" who live in the riding are away during parts of the summer.
> I suggest that you contact us in early August and we can select a
> mutually convenient Wednesday. In the meantime, you might like to
> familiarize yourself with Wednesday Night by having a look at our two
> websites: > www.wednesday-night.com and www.dianaswednesday.com
> We look forward to > meeting you and welcoming you to Wednesday Night.
> Kindest regards,
> David T. Nicholson
Sir,
The websites are just astounding. I will be honored to share with you all.
Thank you for your leadership and initiative.
Kind Regards,
Claude William
Friday 12 September 2008 Independent candidates bring unique ideas to the table ...Régent Millette, David S. Rovins and Andrew Wattie have run in elections before. Wattie, who bills himself as an independent, also claims on his campaign posters to be affiliated with a political organization known as the Conservation Party.
Saturday 30 August 2008 OTTAWA: OCT. 14 LIKELY FEDERAL ELECTION DATE
Senior officials in the office of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper say he'll likely call an election next week for Oct. 14. The sources say his Conservative Party's main campaign theme is that competent managers are needed at the helm as the country's economy approaches tough times. The officials also say the Conservatives will seek to convince voters that they must choose between stability and certainty with the Conservatives or the risk involved in giving Liberal Party leader Stéphane Dion control of the treasury.
After a rash of break-and-enter incidents over the recent long weekend at Town of Hampstead homes, Mayor William Steinberg is urging residents to call Public Security if they think they are being robbed ? because "Public Security in all probability will get to your home much faster than the police will, and speed is crucial."
Following six break-and-enter incidents during the Labour Day holiday, and two others the previous weekend, town council was confronted the following Tuesday by...
Ever wonder why there are so many winding outdoor staircases in Montreal's most densely populated neighbourhoods?
Have you ever passed Ravenscrag, the imposing Sir Hugh Allen mansion near the head of Peel Street, and asked yourself why anyone in their right mind would build a tower atop their home?
These and many other questions are answered in Montreal Architecture: A Guide to Style and Buildings by François Rémillard and Brian Merrett. If the title sounds a bit familiar, it's because...
Saturday 27 October 2007 QEHC revamps walk-in clinic Starting on Nov. 4, Priority One will be replaced by a new entity called Queen Elizabeth Urgent Care. And whereas Priority One has been operating on shortened hours and is closed on Sundays, the new clinic will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.
According to Dr. Mark Roper, a Westmount physician who is also the director of primary care at the McGill University Health Centre, the Montreal Health Agency, which manages health services across the island, is implementing a new concept called a clinique réseau.
Article online since September 13th 2007
)
The lingering hangover of the Montreal megacity mergers
refuses to go away. Now weary Westmounters have woken up to learn they were
overtaxed to the tune of $1,000 per resident during their four-year ?lost
weekend' as a Montreal borough. As Examiner columnist Don Wedge broke the news
two... by Wayne LarsenView
all articles from Wayne Larsen
The City of Westmount has lost a remarkable resident and one of its most ardent supporters with the untimely passing of James Wright, who was killed in a tragic accident on Saturday, September 1. His passing has left a significant hole in the fabric of our community.
If you would like to share your thoughts on Jim Wright, we invite you to use our special Web forum. Perhaps you'd like to share a special anecdote or other heartwarming message
The City of Westmount has formally welcomed a new staff member, who'll be playing a key role especially during meetings of city council.
Mario Gerbeau, who was hired as City Clerk following a lengthy search for the right candidate, worked for the City of Outremont, before it merged five years ago with the City of Montreal.
He was most recently director of the borough office in Outremont. In addition to his clerk's duties in Westmount, Gerbeau will also be the City's Director of Legal Services.
Earlier...
Saturday 01 September 2007 Who's going to Ottawa? Are the Dion Liberals taking Westmount for granted? ...Considering the high calibre of some Westmounters whose names have been whispered as potential candidates for MP — former mayor Peter Trent prominent among them — it seems that we may once again be denied the personal and familiar brand of official representation in Ottawa that residents of so many other ridings take for granted. by Wayne Larsen
Karin Marks wears the mayoral chain of office Photo: Charles Montgomery
Each of the three women and five men on council bring with them a wealth of experience.
Patrick Martin, who is an electrical engineer and has worked in 55 countries, expects to lend his knowledge to technical issues, such as the looming water supply contract.
A first-time councillor, Kathleen Duncan believes that taking control of the budget is key to “establishing the community’s priorities.” Asked what she thought was the biggest challenge facing council in the next few years, the former president of the Westmount Municipal Association answered, “Making sure that, with the megacity, we are not charged anything unnecessarily. Most importantly getting our financing back in order.” George Bowser, another first-time councillor, agreed.
The subject is “not unfamiliar to me,” he said. “The proposals for this particular water supply issue are two and a half feet deep. I’m not entirely looking forward to reading that, but probably I can read it quicker than most.”
Nicole Forbes, who has operated behind the scenes in Westmount politics for almost three decades, is less interested in administrative and financial issues than she is in artistic issues.
Article online since 10 novembre 2005 à 9:06 and was viewed 24 times
By Martin C. Barry
Acknowledging her decisive victory in last Sunday’s municipal election,
Karin Marks told supporters and other residents who gathered at City
Hall the night of the vote that “it’s pretty humbling” to be elected
mayor of Westmount.“It’s a remarkable community and it’s a huge
responsibility,” she said.
“And as I look around the room to those pictures,” she added, referring to the
portraits of past Westmount mayors that adorn the council chamber, “I’m even more aware of the traditions a…
Westmount residents turned out at polling stations this past Sunday to
address their concerns about the city by voting in the municipal
election. The polling station at Victoria Hall had a steady, if sparse,
stream of people coming through its doors and the concerns that topped
people’s agendas seemed to focus on Westmount retaining its
decision-making autonomy.
Dr. Henry Olders, president of the Westmount Municipal Association,
said he wants Westmount to return to the way it was. “Many people in
the city, I th…
Sunday Mar 12, 2006 Ex Westmount’s not to blame for tax tangle: Bowser
There’s no point blaming Westmount... That was the reaction of acting mayor George Bowser to remarks made last Friday by City of Montreal executive committee chairman Frank Zampino.
Saturday Oct 15, 2005 gaz Five mayoral candidates win by acclamation; 4 return to old job
Tough task ahead: Pointe Claire leader; 'We want to put everything back the way it was before mergers:' Montreal East mayor
Westmount: Voters will barely have to sharpen their pencils: Seven of nine seats on council were filled by acclamation. The mayor's seat is contested by two candidates: borough mayor Karin Marks and Gerald Glass.
The acclaimed councillors are: Patrick Martin, Thomas Thompson, Guy Charette, Kathleen Duncan, George Bowser, Nicole Forbes, Cynthia Lulham.
Monday Jun 21, 2004 tsQuebec`s megacity dream dies
MONTREAL—The dream of turning Montreal into a "megacity" went up in smoke yesterday after an unprecedented public backlash that saw at least 14 of the city`s 28 boroughs break away to form their own cities.
Wednesday Jun 23, 2004 THOUSANDS OF QUEBECERS VOTE TO SPLIT UP MEGA-CITIES
Thousands of Quebecers in 32 former municipalities voted Sunday to undo
municipal mergers, with nearly half of the vote in favour of splitting
up the province's mega-cities coming from the island of Montreal.
Urban riding includes prosperous borough (formerly city) of Westmount ; downtown with its offices and universities; a chunk of the trendy Plateau neighbourhood; the low-income Little Burgundy district and parts of the waterfront. Sometimes called the "rich man- poor man" riding. StatsCan site indicates high level of education. The riding has been Liberal for decades. 2001 Census (all numbers approximate): Visible minorities –23 % ; Immigrants – 33 % ; Mother Tongue – 38 % English, 30 % French , 29 % Non-Official Languages.; Unemployment rate –6 %; Ave. Value of Dwelling – $341946 ; Religion – 40% Catholic, 12 % Protestant, 7% Muslim; 12 % Jewish , 19 % No Religion; Avg. famly income $110,968.00
Thursday, May 13, 2004 Don Wedge disagrees with the numbers Mayor Gerald Tremblay gave to Westmount residents at the beginning of yesterday's demerger information meeting.
"Someone's going to have to explain to me one day why, as mayor of Montreal, I can go to Toronto and convince 22 mayors of major Canadian cities to be together and, as a result of that, convince the federal government to give us a rebate on our GST for $35.5 million." ....In a nutshell, the mayor seems to be saying, it doesn't matter if you don't like me, just remember that it's Quebec's fault that you do. ...And Don Wedge, who keeps reminding the mayor to remember the fact Westmount has its own power company when he throws budget figures around.
And there are complaints about Montreal-style potholes making their way into the borough and local services deteriorating and somewhere in there it becomes clear that maybe it's a good thing only 40 actual people (as opposed to reporters or political staff) showed up.
Sunday Jun 15, 2003 Will old Westmount fire hall go condo?
This photo-illustration shows what the developer plans to do with the 92-year-old building. It will be converted into 3 three-storey condos with separate entrances and garages.COURTESY AXXYS GROUPMore than 20 years after responding to its last call, Westmount's Fire Station No. 2 is poised for rebirth, this time as an exclusive condominium project. The tan brick firehouse at the corner of The Boulevard and Victoria Ave. was idled in a cost-saving push by Westmount in 1982.
Sunday Jun 15, 2003 w-n To the barricades, again
The cry of separation is being heard across the island of Montreal once more this summer But this time, it's the Anglos of Westmount ...Their leader is Peter Trent O.W.N., a pleasant and always nattily dressed fellow who fluffs expensive silk handkerchiefs into the breast pocket of his exquisitely tailored and perpetually well-pressed club jacket. Born in England, educated at McMaster and an émigré to Quebec in 1968, you might say he is the modern Westmount man: connected, mellifluously bilingual, staunchly Anglo and proud to be a Quebecer.
"Je suis un séparatiste," declares the silver-haired Trent, speaking in a waspish tone that bespeaks of good breeding, a stiff upper lip and all the other attributes of empire. "I'm a separatist. I'm a sovereignist. I can tell you, when I first said that, it really got the Parti Québécois' attention."
..."The two sides have traded places," Montreal humorist Josh Freed recently wrote, observing the old enemies have flipped their logic.
"The new Anglo separatists are geared for a neverendum battle until they win back their old towns. Meanwhile, francophone anti-separatists say we must stop talking about a referendum because it's hurting Montreal's economy. As if they ever worried about that before.
"In short, the separatists have become federalists and the federalists have become separatists, with Westmount leading the crusade for independence."
Tuesday May 20, 2003 A man for all Westmount
Actor, musician, former businessman and former Westmount mayor
Peter Trent O.W.N. rattles off several suggestions for his Montreal, each one in his former fiefdom.
For diversion, Trent will be playing Col. Pickering in Pygmalion, a two-day benefit production for Geordie Theatre.
He's acted many times before, including the time he was, in his own words, "typecast as a slim, erudite and handsome" Henry VIII in Geordie's A Man for all Seasons, and playing Noël Coward in The Man Who Came to Dinner. But Trent says he lost his best and longest-running role - a decade as mayor of Westmount - when the provincial government shut his theatre down Jan. 1, 2002. ....King George Park "is what the bureaucracy calls it, but everyone else sticks to Murray (Park)," says Trent, who is up on his Westmount history, having written and performed a short play about it for the city's 125th anniversary.
Nov 7, 2002 City centralizes despite Tremblay pledge: Marks
By Martin C. Barry
Centralization of the Montreal megacity is happening at a rapid pace-despite a promise made last year that decentralization would be occurring now, says Westmount borough president Karin Marks.
Nov 7, 2002 Fire station sale could benefit megacity-not Westmount By Martin C. Barry
The Borough of Westmount is trying to find a buyer for its Fire Station No. 2, although what happens to the proceeds remains uncertain.
Council of October 7, 2002 Liberal promise: Chairman Marks said she had met Jean Charest, liberal municipal critic Roch Cholette, Westmount MNA Jacques Chagnon and other leaders at a party convention. She was told that even if it was not included in the printed party platform, they intended to allow a referendum on demergers. It would also be done fairly quickly, if only to get the issue out of the way.
The McGill University Health Centre has announced that decontamination of the Glen Yards will take up to four months, and it will cost $33 million to make the site suitable for the planned 'superhospital' campus.
... Canadian Pacific, the previous owner, will be paying $10 million of the cost. The provincial government will be paying the rest.
Thursday Sep 26, 2002 Marks uneasy about megacity library computer system By Martin C. Barry
A new computer network the City of Montreal may eventually introduce at municipal library branches across the island has borough council president Karin Marks concerned.
Tuesday Aug 20, 2002 Acting chairman: Cllr Cynthia Lulham will resume the role of acting borough chairman for four months from September.
Friday Jul 12, 2002 column raises Westmount's ire
By Martin C. Barry
According to a blurb promoting her column, Sue Montgomery is a mother of two who doesn't get enough sleep or sex and who writes about "things that drive me nuts." [who cares?]
Friday Jul 12, 2002 MUHC hearings scheduled for SeptemberBy Martin C. Barry
The McGill University Health Centre's proposed superhospital in the Glen Yards will be the subject of public hearings held by the City of Montreal in early fall. [give it up say most]
Thursday Apr 25, 2002 WEx
Choosing to locate in Westmount
WHA hears one merchant's story of opening a business here By Marilynn Vanderstay
Feasting on chocolate chunk cookies and gourmet coffees provided by guest speaker Rita Stafford, 40 members and guests of the Westmount Historical Association were treated to the story of how she and her late husband chose Westmount to locate their business.
Wednesday Jan 30, 2002 WEx Westmount's former city council, reborn as a de-merger committee, even kept the same council seating order when it held its first public meeting in the Lodge Room of Victoria Hall last Wednesday evening. From left to right are John de Castell, Cynthia Lulham, Margaret Lefebvre, Karin Marks, Peter Trent O.W.N., Barbara Moore, De-merger committee has a year to restore autonomy By Martin C. Barry
Former Mayor Peter Trent was back on the job as a concerned citizen last Wednesday, chairing the first public meeting of an ad-hoc de-merger committee that attracted close to 70 Westmounters to Victoria Hall.
Wednesday Jan 30, 2002 WEx Merger increases library membership By Martin C. Barry
Membership at the Westmount Public Library has risen by 1,193 since Jan. 1, when the megacity mergers created an island-wide library service.
By Martin C. Barry
According to a list of appointments made by the Montreal Transition Committee, it would appear that staff of the borough of Westmount is to be composed mostly of former City employees.
December 06, 2001 Stoicism prevails at 'last' council meeting WEx By Martin C. Barry
All over Montreal Island this week, municipal councils are meeting for the last time before the new borough councils begin their mandates in the new year.
October 18, 2001 Tempers flare at candidates meeting by Martin C. Barry Richard McConomy & Pat Donnelly, who are running in Westmount for Team Bourque, were jeered, ridiculed and shouted down Monday night during an all-candidates meeting at Victoria Hall. ...One of the loudest outbursts of the evening came from Keir Cutler, son of former Westmount Mayor May Cutler, who was seated in the front row, shouting at McConomy at one point. [very bad form! Not the Westmount sryle!]
October 18, 2001 Welcome to Canada! By George Bowser While anti-American demonstrations take place in many countries with largely Muslim populations, nobody seems to be mad at Canada. Why not? Canada is an active ally of the United State in the current war on terrorism.
October 18, 2001 Taxes could skyrocket WEx Letters to the editor
Sun 5/27/01 8:29 AM Tribute to war sacrifice
By: LISA YEUNG
Ralph Piercey gave his life so Ilsabey Siemens (63) could live hers. Almost 55 years later, she had a chance to pay tribute to his sacrifice.
Siemens was given a certificate of appreciation by the Royal Montreal Regiment in an awards ceremony held in Westmount Park yesterday. "I think people like you make our country a far better place to live in," Lt.-Col. George Petrolekas told Siemens during the awards presentation, in which he also received a medal for his service as a UN peacekeeper.
Fri 8/10/01 HENRY AUBIN The Gazette
While the two giant parties led by Gerald Tremblay and Pierre Bourque have been hogging the municipal spotlight this summer, another potentially important movement has been jelling without fanfare.
This is the emergence of a "third way" - the prospect of serious candidates running as independents in the November election for seats on the megacity council. ..Karin Marks, who is running with the endorsement of the popular mayor, Peter Trent, is a shoo-in. [do we have a choise>] ...In a two-way race, the poll suggests 41 per cent of Montreal Island residents support Bourque and 37 per cent Tremblay, while 21 per cent are undecided. But SOM then asked about voting intentions if the race included Trent; he says he will not run, but his intellectual position is close to that of independents. The result: support for Bourque falls to 36 per cent and for Tremblay to 25 per cent, while the undecideds drop to 17 per cent; the anti-merger stalwart, Trent, snags 22 per cent. ..Trent in the suburbs, he ranks No. 1 with 31-per-cent support (vs. 26 and 28 per cent, respectively, for Bourque and Tremblay). Quite conceivably, then, independents with Trent-type ideas could win quite a batch of seats.
May 25, 2001
Westmount has its day in court
By Martin C. Barry After months of preparation both publicly and behind closed doors, Westmount has finally pleaded its case against Bill 170 and forced mergers. The first of 19 municipalities contesting the validity of the provincial law, Westmount presented its arguments to Judge Maurice Lagacé of Quebec Superior Court in Montreal's Palais de Justice on Tuesday, with lawyers Julius Grey, Gérald Tremblay (not to be mistaken with the megacity mayoral candidate) and Jean Marois representing the City.
Pleading in French, they based their arguments on four fundamental claims: that the law surpasses the National Assembly's competence, that it threatens minority rights as guaranteed in the Canadian and Quebec charters of rights, that it would undermine democratic interaction, and that it discriminates and threatens the equality of people, in violation of the rights charters. See Julius Grey
May 25, 2001
CONTINUOUS SAGA WESTMOUNT!Most ironic in this history, it is that the eminent lawyer in constitutional law Me Julius Grey would belong to lawyers representing the Conference of the municipal judges of Quebec, for the aspects of the request calling into question the constitutionality of law 170, whereas Me Grey is also interested to represent defendants from 1 Anarchistic May with Westmount within the framework of a request in unconstitutionality on L ' "attroupement illegal"!
11 February, 2001 GAZETTE EDITORIAL MUNICIPAL MERGERS:! by Mayor Peter F. Trent and our collection of Merger Notes People who braved the cold to participate in the massive anti-merger rally held last Dec. 10 must be scratching their heads these days. The air then was thick with diatribes against the injustice of Bill 170, with declarations of war against its architects. As speaker after speaker split the ears of the crowd, the citizens in turn pledged their unconditional support for the mayors in carrying on with their battle against a forced merger of all the Montreal Island cities.
Exactly two months later, some of these same leaders have shucked off their battledress. They're in a party mood; or, more precisely, they want a party of the political variety.
2000: The year in review
Last year was an exciting one for Westmount. The 125th anniversary celebrations and the library's centennial generated a number of special activities and events-all under the ever-present threat of a Y2K-related disaster that never materialized.
click here for the very latest Media JOSH FREED The Gazette
One island, one pity. That's the view of our suburban mayors, who fear Quebec's plan for a megacity will reduce them to micro-status. They're convinced "mega" is a Greek word for "poor service" - and a megacity will create equally bad services for all, by dragging the suburbs down to Montreal's level.
Hampstead's wading pool will open at 1 p.m. and close at 1:30 p.m.; the Westmount Library will have a "modern history" section that ends with Plato; the megacity snow-removal policy will be: "Leave it - and it will melt."
This site .../westweb/ is a private initiative of the Nicholson family and has been up since 1996, it receives no support from any level of government and is free to say what it will.
There'll Be No Tavern In This Town by Peter Trent March 14th 1998 It has a 26mg movie with George Bowser and Peter Trent. A must see before I may have to use that space
There'll Be No Tavern In This Town by Peter Trent March 14th 1998 It has a 26mg movie with George Bowser and Peter Trent. A must see before I may have to use that space
Wed 5/9/01 4:19 PM A revolution one street corner at a time
By: L. IAN MACDONALD Freelance
Revolutions may begin at the barricades but municipal politics begins at the street corner.
"Hey, Peter!" I shouted across the street the other day. "We need a speed bump at this corner. Or a traffic light. People are always running the stop."
Wed 12/27/00 6:55 AM Plan to sell fire station is hot potato
By: DARREN BECKER
A group of Westmount residents is mobilizing to prevent city officials from selling a landmark fire station to a Montreal developer.
Next month, Westmount city council is set to approve a zoning change for the site of the former fire hall at The Boulevard and Victoria Ave.