Info Westmount - volume 1 number 1 - EN

VOLUM E 1 · NUM BER 1 · NOVEM BER 2 0 2 3 Published by t he Cit y of West mount

info

West mount >>> our first

issue!

Welcome t o t he inaugural edit ion of Info Westmount, t he Cit y of West mount 's brand-new mont hly newslet t er! In each edit ion, you'll f ind a t reasure t rove of informat ion, including Cit y news, upcoming event s, and much more.

Our goal is t o fost er a sense of unit y and connect ion wit hin our beaut if ul Cit y, so be sure t o st ay t uned for t he lat est updat es and highlight s f rom West mount .

We look forward t o sharing t he unique charact er and vibrancy of our communit y wit h you each mont h.

in this

issue page 2 West mount Assist ance

page 3 Message f rom t he Mayor

page 4 The Next Two Years: Council's Game Plan

page 6 Update on Environment Public Works: Preparing for W inter

page 7 Roads and Inf rast ruct ure Hydro West mount Client Space

page 8 Event s Calendar

westmount

assist ance West mount Assist ance is your gateway to t he services and act ivit ies of fered by t he Cit y. Our mission is to provide quick and ef f icient answers to your quest ions and direct you to t he appropriate services and resources. You can also make your municipal t ax and Hydro West mount bill payment s at our recept ion counter at Cit y Hall.

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We look forward to meet ing you!

You can reach us: - by e-mail at assist ance@west mount .or g - by telephone at 514 9 8 9 -520 0 - in person at t he recept ion counter at Cit y Hall, 4333 Sherbrooke St reet West

message from the

M ayor The Cit y of West mount and Council are commit ted to improving communicat ion wit h our resident s. We use various plat forms to connect wit h you and encourage you to follow us on our social media channels and st ay up to date t hrough our website's news sect ion. Do you have a quest ion or request ? Our West mount Assist ance desk at cit y hall will gladly help you in person, by phone, or by email. This newslet ter is a f resh approach to engaging wit h resident s, and we are also in t he process of revamping our website to enhance resident s' access to essent ial Cit y informat ion.

In t he upcoming weeks, we will f inalize t he 20 24 budget , priorit izing vit al inf rast ruct ure project s t hroughout t he Cit y. We welcome your feedback and encourage you to share your priorit ies wit h your Cit y Councillors or wit h me.

This newslet ter will give you an overview of t he Council's goals and what we aim to accomplish in t he next t wo years. We have several signif icant project s to complete and a cont inued focus on modernizing our inf rast ruct ure.

20 24 will be a special year for West mount as we celebrate our 150 t h anniversary wit h a series of event s t hroughout t he year. Addit ionally, our beloved Library is commemorat ing it s 125 t h anniversary next year. We look forward to celebrat ing bot h of t hese signif icant milestones wit h you.

M ayor Chr ist ina M . Smit h

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t he next t wo year s council's game plan

our projects Inf r ast r uct ur e As demonst rated by t he orange cones t hat are visible in every corner of West mount , f ixing our inf rast ruct ure is at t he top of our list of priorit ies and will remain t here for many years to come. W hile we appreciate t hat t his work is disrupt ive, t he unfort unate realit y is t hat we can no longer delay invest ing in our roads, water net works, hydro net work, parks and municipal buildings such as our t rain st at ion, Public Works f acilit y and Cit y Hall.

Please note t hat our planning for 20 24 project s is well underway and you will see t hat t here is a shif t to more sidewalk repair and repaving as well as road reconst ruct ion.

I should also point out t hat we are in t he process of developing a comprehensive asset management plan which will serve as a crit ical building block for our operat ing and capit al works budget s.

>>> inst it ut ions of t he area, will be key to t he redevelopment of t his area.

Securit y and safet y due to t he challenges of t he housing crisis, part icularly in t his part of West mount , are a societ al challenge. West mount will cont inue to work closely wit h t he SPVM, all levels of government and communit y groups to address t his crisis.

Ex panding our communit y spor t s and event s We are const ant ly reviewing and evaluat ing our programming to ensure we are ef fect ively responding to t he needs of our resident s. W it h t his in mind, we have est ablished a part nership wit h Marianopolis College for playing f ields, and are exploring ot her potent ial part nerships wit h schools and communit y organizat ions. Many resident s cont inue to ask t he Cit y to build an indoor swimming pool and gym, and t his will be part of t he discussions during t he SPP process.

Hydr o West mount Communicat ion and cit izen engagement Over t he next t wo years we need to ident if y f inancial, st af f ing, environment al and technological st rategies, and direct ion for Hydro West mount . We will ensure t here is sound management of Hydro West mount to meet t he challenges of updat ing t he inf rast ruct ure and changing hydroelect ric needs.

The r evit alizat ion of t he Sout h-East ar ea As part of t he Special Planning Programme (SPP) process, we are launching a comprehensive review of opt ions for t he Sout h-East area (Ste. Cat herine to Dorchester and At water to Greene), which is a key ent ry point to our Cit y. Our plan is to host in-dept h public consult at ions wit h resident s and st akeholders. Economic development of t he ret ail areas, as well as working wit h t he import ant

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Our resident s deserve to have t he most det ailed and robust communicat ion possible f rom Cit y Hall.

To achieve t his goal, we will be updat ing our online presence and int roducing digit al tools to ensure you are informed of crit ical informat ion in a t imely f ashion. We will create opport unit ies for more resident consult at ion on budget s and capit al works project s.

We are developing a ?One Stop? solut ion for resident s to st reamline all services into a single port al. This will f acilit ate all interact ion wit h t he Cit y for permit s, licenses, f acilit y cards, t he payment of fees and t axes, and ways for cit izens to report issues wit hin t he Cit y.

As we approach t he mid-point of our mandat e, Council?s f ocus cont inues t o be on adopt ing policies and programmes designed t o ensure t hat West mount is a cit y where people t hrive, f eel socially connect ed and f eel saf e and secure.

Resident s want a cit y t hat is well run, wit h programmes and inf rast ruct ure t hat meet s t heir needs and one t hat is ready t o meet t he challenges of climat e change.

This overriding object ive serves as our guide as we move f orward wit h budget planning f or 20 24 and f irm up our plans f or t he next t wo years.

our values Sust ainabilit y Sust ainabilit y is at t he heart of our decision making, f rom road design, to t he vehicles we purchase, and our approach to water retent ion and t he building of catch basins. Climate change is having a signif icant impact on our Cit y and our planning needs to cont inue to address t hat . The management of our waste is a core service, and in conf ront ing t he climate crisis it is clear t hat we must do bet ter. We need to t ransport less to landf ills and increase our compost ing programmes; t his will be done by changes to t he f requency of garbage collect ion and improving compost ing and recycling rates in t he Cit y.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions f rom our operat ions and building safer pedest rian and bike f riendly st reet s will help us reach our goal. Protect ing t he biodiversit y in our parks and green spaces will cont inue to be a priorit y.

Saf et y and mobilit y Like sust ainabilit y, safet y and mobilit y are f ront and cent re in our decision-making process. W hen we rebuild roads, for example, safet y is always at t he core of t he design process, as we are of ten looking to int roduce t raf f ic calming measures. We are polling resident s and schools to make our school zones bet ter and safer. We are commit ted to a Vision Zero act ion plan to ensure t hat pedest rian safet y is our guiding principle.

investing in our people As we conf ront a compet it ive labour market , our goal is to be an employer of choice. The appoint ment of Julie Mandeville as our new Director General is an import ant step in t he right direct ion, as we are conf ident she has t he experience and background required to lead our team at Cit y Hall. W it h her help, we are focusing on recruit ment , retent ion, and ensuring we have t he right people in t he right roles while providing our st af f wit h t he tools, technology and support t hey need to be successf ul.

As I st ated at t he out set , our goal is for West mount to remain a vibrant and safe cit y f rom all vant age point s. We are determined to move forward wit h a mult i-f aceted plan t hat addresses our f iscal, physical, architect ural, environment al and social challenges.

As we move forward, your considerate input will be great ly appreciated.

We encourage all West mounters to provide us wit h feedback by t aking part in our public consult at ions, responding to our surveys, at tending Council meet ings or reaching out to t heir local Councillor. We need to hear f rom you to ensure we are meet ing your needs.

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tours of the recycling sorting centre and landfill site Lachine sort ing cent re on October 23.

Complexe Enviro Connexions landf ill site on October 27. The Cit y t hanks it s resident s for t heir interest and part icipat ion. One t hing to remember f rom t hese visit s: t he best wast e is t he wast e we don't produce!

yard waste collection Yard t rimmings must be placed in paper bags or in open, clearly visible cont ainers, ideally at t he curb rat her t han in a lane. Branches up to 5 cm in diameter and 1.2 m long must be t ied in bundles wit h nat ural t wine. Plast ic bags, closed cont ainers, unt ied branches or branches larger t han 5 cm in diameter, and bins or bags weighing more t han 50 lbs will not be accepted. The Belvédère depot is open to resident s and cont ractors wit h Cit y permit s f rom Monday to Friday, bet ween 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. To f ind out your collect ion day or for more informat ion: west mount .org/greenwast e.

fall collections Protect your residual materials f rom rain and wind to ensure t heir best t reat ment , f acilit ate t he work of collect ion employees, and keep t he Cit y clean: close your bins wit h lids, cover your recyclables in your open bin wit h a cardboard box and make sure your materials don't blow away, and cover your green waste paper bags unt il your collect ion day.

expanded deposit As of November 1, all ready-to-drink aluminum beverage cont ainers bet ween 10 0 ml and 2 L will be ret urnable, including t hose used for sof t drinks, beer, energy drinks, kombuchas, carbonated and f lavoured waters, veget able and f ruit juices, and tea.

For more info: consignact ion.ca.

public works

pr epar ing f or w int er Our dedicated Public Works team is in f ull swing, making preparat ions for t he winter season by t ransit ioning t heir operat ions, t aking care of our parks, and ensuring t he readiness of t heir vehicles. These ef fort s are all aimed at safeguarding t he well-being of our communit y as we approach t he colder mont hs.

Here are some essent ial reminders for a safe winter season: - Snow Removal: Pay at tent ion to orange temporary signage and f lashing no-parking signs in commercial areas.

- Keep Your Dist ance: Maint ain a safe dist ance f rom heavy equipment during snow removal operat ions.

- Sidewalk Saf et y: Keep sidewalks unobst ructed by vehicles, and ensure t hat cont ractors do not deposit snow on t hem.

- Park ing: Remember, winter rest rict ions st art as of December 1st . Please be aware of where you park.

- W int er Recreat ion: Toboggan runs and ice rinks are expected to open in mid to late December, weat her permit t ing. West mount Park's ref rigerated skat ing rink should be available as of November 16 .

- Cross-Count ry Trails: Take advant age of t he cross-count ry t rail at t he WAG, expected at t he end of December or t he beginning of January, weat her permit t ing.

- Drive Saf ely: During heavy snowf alls, exercise ext ra caut ion around school areas due to slippery condit ions and potent ial parking issues. Reduce your speed for added safet y.

Your safet y and t he well-being of our communit y are our top priorit ies as we head into t he winter season.

M any changes are coming to the collection of various types of residual materials starting in 20 24 : stay tuned!

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roads and

inf r ast r uct ur e Thank you to all resident s for your pat ience and underst anding during anot her year of reconst ruct ion project s of your st reet s and public inf rast ruct ure. Here are some of t he many project s accomplished t his year.

King George Park

City Hall

Summit Lookout

Upper Bellevue

Claremont

Summit Road

Grosvenor

Westmount Public Library

Barat

hydro westmount's customer space is now available!

Sign up now and you will be able to view your bills and payment history, access your elect ricit y consumpt ion, obt ain your account balance, and more. Visit hydro.west mount .org.

Devon Park

Clandeboye Lane

M ount Pleasant

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events

calendar West mount Public Libr ar y 4 5 74 Sherbrooke St reet West wpl@west mount .org 5 14 9 8 9 -5 3 0 0

For the most up-to-date information about Library programmes, and to register, please visit westlib.org.

Guess t he Giller Monday, November 13, 7 p.m.

Lit erat ure Circle wit h t he Thomas M ore Inst it ut e Thursday, November 30 , 7 p.m.

Friends of t he Library Book Sale Sat urday and Sunday, November 18 and 19 , 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

West mount Hist orical Associat ion Lect ure ? Treasures of t he West mount Public Library's Archives Thursday, November 23, 7 p.m.

Lect ure ?

Uncommon Kit chens: A Revolut ionary Approach t o t he M ost Popular Room in t he House Wednesday, December 6 , 7 p.m.

lace up your skates!

The ref rigerated rink in West mount Park is being inst alled, and should be open to t he public by mid-November!

city's computer network Scheduled maintenance will interrupt cert ain computer services at t he Cit y on November 18 . For more det ails, visit west mount .org and west lib.org.

Document ary Film Club Wednesday, December 13, 7 p.m.

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Vict or ia Hall Communit y Cent r e Communit y Event s Of f ice 4 6 26 Sherbrooke St reet West vict oriahall@west mount .org 5 14 9 8 9 -5 226

For the most up-to-date information about these City events, and to register, please visit westmount.org.

Art isans West mount Sat urday and Sunday, November 11 and 12, 10 :30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Art and M edit at ion in t he Gallery Thursday, November 30 , 11 a.m.

sports and recreation: coaches needed No experience necessary.

Training and cert if icat ion of fered. 3 hours per week.

Send a message to recreat ion@west mount .org.

gallery at victoria hall

Concert ? Ensemble Caprice: Vivaldi et les nomades baroques In collaboration with Conseil des arts de Montréal en tournée Wednesday, November 22, 7 p.m.

Héma-Québec Blood Drive Wednesday, November 29 , 1:30 pm to 7 p.m.

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Cit y Hall Christ mas Tree Light ing Friday, December 1, 5 p.m.

Chanukah Celebrat ion Monday, December 11, 5 p.m.

Neighbourhood Carolling Wednesday, December 13, 7 p.m.

Exhibit ion Eliane Rivard and Irene Kudish November 21 to December 15