Mayor’s Office and City Council

Mayor Christina M. Smith was first elected as City Councillor in 2013 and as Mayor of the City of Westmount in 2017 and 2021.

She is Vice President of the Public Security Commission with the Agglomeration of Montreal.

• Email: csmith@westmount.org

Biography

Christina M. Smith was elected to Westmount City Council on November 3, 2013, as the Councillor for District 5. She was also the Commissioner of Administration during that mandate. In April 2017, Christina Smith was named interim mayor by her fellow Council members when Peter Trent retired as Mayor of Westmount. On November 5, 2017, Christina Smith was elected the Mayor of the City of Westmount. During the 2017-2021 mandate, she was a member of the Finance Commission with the Agglomeration of Montreal as well as the Economic Development Commission and the Audit Committee. In November 2021, she was elected mayor of Westmount for a second term and is the Vice-President of the Public Security Commission with the Agglomeration of Montreal. Mayor Smith is also a member of the executive of the Association of Suburban Municipalities.

Prior to entering municipal politics, Christina was the Director of Industry and Government Affairs for Coca-Cola. Christina was also the Policy Advisor to the Federal Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. Involved in many community organizations, Christina believes in civic engagement to ensure our community is one where all residents benefit from our many programmes and services.

Christina has a Bachelor of Political Science from Bishop’s University. Christina and her husband have three young children who enjoy many of Westmount’s sports programmes and activities.

Commissioner of Finance
Member of the Finance and Administration Committee

• Email: adamico@westmount.org 

Biography

Antonio D’Amico was elected to Westmount City Council on November 7, 2021, as the Councillor for District 1. He is also the Commissioner of Finance. He has been a resident of Westmount and District 1 since 2013.

Antonio has a B.Com (Finance/MIS), BA (Psych), MBA and Graduate Diploma in Taxation, from McGill University.

Antonio is a practicing Canadian and US CPA specializing in taxation. Antonio obtained his Canadian CPA in 1994 and his US CPA in 2004. He advises multinational corporations, small businesses, estates and trusts, and individuals. He has been invited to present his tax recommendations to the Quebec Revenue Department and the US Congress.

He and his wife Claudia are the proud parents of 2 teenagers raised in Westmount, and the whole family participates in many Westmount activities.

Commissioner of the Public Library and Community Events
Member of the Public Library Committee
Member of the Local Heritage Council

• Email: eroux@westmount.org

Biography

Elisabeth Roux was elected to Westmount City Council on November 7, 2021, as Councillor for District 2. She has been named Commissioner of the Public Library and Community Events. She is also a member of the Public Library Committee, ensuring that the jewel of our City continues to foster a love of learning, reading and community building.

She holds a bachelor in political science from Université de Montréal and a Master of Communication Management from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California.

Elisabeth worked in corporate communications for both Canadian and international corporations for many years. She interrupted her professional career to become a full-time caregiver for family members.

She has always been involved in her community. Currently, Elisabeth serves as a board member of the Foundation of Montreal Oral School for the Deaf and the Fondation du Collège Jean-de-Bébeuf. She also volunteers for other not-for-profit organizations.

Elisabeth has always valued and been drawn to public service. She enjoys the proximity to citizens that municipal government offers. She looks for opportunities to interact with residents, obtain feedback and comments, and answer questions. It’s important to her to seek citizens’ input on issues that impact them because she believes it will lead to better outcomes.

Elisabeth, her husband Roger and their two teenage boys are lifelong residents of District 2, who enjoy Westmount’s sense of community as well as the services and the activities it offers, appreciating the City’s culture, heritage and values.

Commissioner of Hydro Westmount and Administration
Chair of the Finance and Administration Committee
Chair of the Hydro Westmount Committee

• Email: jshamie@westmount.org

Biography

Elected to City Council as the representative of District 3 in the November 2017 election, Jeff Shamie currently serves as Pro Mayor, Commissioner of Hydro Westmount and Administration, as well as Chair of the Finance and Administration Committee.

In parallel with his duties in municipal politics, Jeff has served as CEO of the Cedars Cancer Foundation at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) since 2005. As one of Montreal’s leading fundraising professionals, Jeff has guided the transformation of Cedars into one of the city’s leading foundations recognized for its support of cancer care, research and education.

Jeff has worked in marketing and the international apparel industry. Previously, he was Director of Expo 2000, the City of Toronto’s bid for a World’s Fair, a Senior Policy Advisor to several Ontario cabinet ministers and an assistant in the Prime Minister’s Office under Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

Jeff has a BA (Hons) in Political Science and a Masters in Public Administration from Queen’s University. He and his wife Daphne have 4 daughters, who are active participants in Westmount’s many sports programmes, and the myriad of community and cultural events and activities this great City has to offer.

Commissioner of Urban Planning and Architecture (Engineering and Infrastructure)
Member of the Planning Advisory Committee (PAC)
Member of the Finance and Administration Committee

• Email: cpeart@westmount.org

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Commissioner of Public Works, Accessibility and Mobility
Lead member of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)

• Email: ambostock@westmount.org 

Biography

A lifelong resident of Westmount, Anitra Bostock was elected to Westmount City Council in November 2017 and again in 2021. Anitra continues to bring her experience and energy to be the voice on Council for the residents of District 5.

As a City councillor, Anitra plans regular touchpoints with District 5 residents so that she may hear what is important to them and address their concerns in a timely manner.

As the commissioner of Public Works, Accessibility and Mobility, Anitra aims to provide the highest possible standard of service to Westmount residents while continuing to improve accessibility.

Currently, the Community Development Project Manager at the Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence, Anitra helps people with advanced age, frailty, chronic and life-limiting illness to live at home or in the community for as long as they possibly can. In addition, she is working to increase community engagement and link people to newly developed and existing services in the West Island. Anitra previously served as Special Events Manager at the Cedars Cancer Foundation, as Regional Manager for the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, and as an employee of Westmount’s Sports and Recreation department. From 2003 to 2012, Anitra became well acquainted with hundreds of Westmount families during her time overseeing the City’s sports and community activities.

The proud stepmom of two daughters, Anitra, is greatly motivated to work with residents, Council, and the mayor to ensure that Westmount remains a great place to live for future generations.

Commissioner of Sports and Recreation and Parks and Greenhouses
Member of Planning Advisory Committee (PAC)
Trustee of the Westmount Public Library Committee
Responsible for the relations with Marianopolis College and Dawson College

• Email: mgallery@westmount.org

Biography

Mary Gallery was first elected to City Council in November 2017. With the pandemic thwarting many of Council’s initiatives during that cycle, Mary was keen to present herself as a candidate for a second term in the November 2021 municipal election to continue working on the many important and ongoing initiatives, files, and objectives underway. She won by acclamation and is honoured to again be representing the residents of District 6. Mary is very proud of what our Mayor, Council and City employees have accomplished throughout the period of profound uncertainty and instability spurred by the pandemic.

Mary was reappointed as Commissioner, Sports and Recreation. The Sports and Recreation programme is extremely popular, and the City is looking at innovative ways to improve and expand on the existing activities, as these programmes are more important than ever. Additionally, she is eager to strengthen the City’s partnerships with local institutions such as Dawson and Marianopolis Colleges, and make more facilities available to our residents.

Mary has assumed her new role as Commissioner, Parks and Greenspaces. The importance of our parks to the well-being of our community has never been more evident than during the pandemic. It is imperative that the City increases its investment in our many parks upkeep and infrastructure programs.

Mary also serves on the Planning Advisory Committee, and as a trustee of the Westmount Public Library Committee. She recognizes the importance of these key committees in the community as they impact so many of our residents.

Mary is motivated to work with the 2021-2025 Council and to participate in the substantial investment in, and ongoing progress of, our great City. She remains committed to being accessible and responsive to the needs and concerns of residents and offering meaningful contributions to the collective work that makes our City one of the most desirable places to live in Montréal, Québec, and Canada.

Mary is a dedicated, civic-minded volunteer, and is an active member of several community, academic and philanthropic boards and committees. Mary is married and is the proud mother of 2 children.

Commissioner for Climate and Sustainability, for Economic Development and for Citizen Engagement
Chair of the Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Committee

• Email: maronson@westmount.org

Biography

Matthew E. (“Matt”) Aronson was elected to Westmount City Council on November 7, 2021, as the Councillor for District 7. He has been named Commissioner for Climate and Sustainability, for Economic Development and for Citizen Engagement.

A lawyer at Westmount-based Adessky Attorneys, Matt leads his firm’s immigration group, as well as practicing real estate law and business law, with a focus on small enterprises, family businesses and non-profit organizations.

Matt has over 25 years of experience as a community leader and volunteer. Recently, he served as Secretary of the Board of Notre-Dame-des-Arts, which funds and promotes the arts and runs NDG ArtsWeek Festival, as a member the YMCA Kanawana Alumni Awards committee, and as a volunteer workshop leader for YES Montreal, PME Montreal and Ometz. He is currently the Secretary of the Board of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN), the leading Quebec advocacy group for official minority language communities.

Born and raised in Montreal’s west end, Matt has deep roots in Westmount. The son of local merchants, Matt attended Roslyn Elementary, Lower Canada College, and Dawson College, serving as Student Union President before graduating in 1997. His post secondary education included degrees in Classics and Philosophy (University of King’s College), Communications (Concordia) and Civil & Common Law (McGill). He has lived in District 7 with his spouse, Jennifer, and his daughters, since 2015.

Matt believes deeply in the power of engaged citizens to create and sustain an inclusive, organized and compassionate community. He is committed to open, transparent and responsive local governance, as well as the continuity of Westmount’s tradition of independence and community cohesion in municipal affairs.

Commissioner of Public Security
Member of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)
Member of the Finance and Administration Committee

• Email: kkez@westmount.org

Biography

Kathleen Kez was first elected to Westmount City Council on November 5, 2017, as the councillor for District 8. She served as the Commissioner of Finance and member of the Finance and Administration Committee. In 2022, she was named Commissioner of Public Security.

Kathleen grew up in Westmount attending Roslyn and Westmount High. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University and a Diploma in Accounting from McGill University.

Kathleen is self-employed, offering accounting and tax preparation services to small businesses and individuals. She also volunteers for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) tax programme for those in need. Of Hungarian heritage, she is an active member of the Hungarian Canadian Chamber of Commerce (HCCC). She lived in France for 10 years before moving back to Westmount in 2002 with her two children, Nicolas and Chloe, both of whom have been very active in the community and were Westmount camp counsellors for years.

She is committed to representing the interests of District 8 and working with all residents with full transparency. She has been a strong advocate for the need to protect, preserve and enhance the vital living space of our community and has been promoting the need for more green spaces. She is working to develop a proactive vision for district 8 through consultation and the consideration of that which brings the community closer together, protects its residential neighbourhood, and ensures the revitalization of its commercial sector.

The Next Two Years: 2024-2025

Council’s Game Plan

As we approach the mid-point of our mandate, Council’s focus continues to be on adopting policies and programmes designed to ensure that Westmount is a city where people thrive, feel socially connected and feel safe and secure.

Residents want a City that is well run, with programmes and infrastructure that meets their needs and one that is ready to meet the challenges of climate change.

This overriding objective serves as our guide as we move forward with budget planning for 2024 and firm up our plans for the next two years.

Our Projects

Infrastructure

As demonstrated by the orange cones that are visible in every corner of Westmount, fixing our infrastructure is at the top of our list of priorities and will remain there for many years to come. While we appreciate that this work is disruptive, the unfortunate reality is that we can no longer delay investing in our roads, water networks, hydro network, parks and municipal buildings such as our train station, Public Works facility and City Hall. Please note that our planning for 2024 projects is well underway and you will see that there is a shift to more sidewalk repair and repaving as well as road reconstruction.

I should also point out that we are in the process of developing a comprehensive asset management plan which will serve as a critical building block for our operating and capital works budgets.

Hydro Westmount

Over the next two years we need to identify financial, staffing, environmental and technological strategies, and direction for Hydro Westmount. We will ensure there is sound management of Hydro Westmount to meet the challenges of updating the infrastructure and changing hydroelectric needs.

The Revitalization of the Southeast Sector

As part of the Special Planning Programme (SPP) process, we are launching a comprehensive review of options for the southeast sector (Sainte-Catherine to Dorchester, and Atwater to Greene), which is a key entry point to our City. Our plan is to host in-depth public consultations with residents and stakeholders. Economic development of the retail areas, as well as working with the important institutions of the area, will be key to the redevelopment of this area.

Security and safety due to the challenges of the housing crisis, particularly in this part of Westmount, are a societal challenge. Westmount will continue to work closely with the SPVM, all levels of government and community groups to address this crisis.

Expanding our Community Sports and Events

We are constantly reviewing and evaluating our programming to ensure we are effectively responding to the needs of our residents. With this in mind, we have established a partnership with Marianopolis College for playing fields, and are exploring other potential partnerships with schools and community organizations. Many residents continue to ask the City to build an indoor swimming pool and gym, and this will be part of the discussions during the SPP process.

Communication and Citizen Engagement

Our residents deserve to have the most detailed and robust communication possible from City Hall. To achieve this goal, we will be updating our online presence and introducing digital tools to ensure you are informed of critical information in a timely fashion. We will create opportunities for more resident consultation on budgets and capital works projects.

We are developing a “One Stop” solution for residents to streamline all services into a single portal. This will facilitate all interaction with the City for permits, licenses, facility cards, the payment of fees and taxes, and ways for citizens to report issues within the City.

Our Values

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the heart of our decision making, from road design, to the vehicles we purchase, and our approach to water retention and the building of catch basins. Climate change is having a significant impact on our City and our planning needs to continue to address that. The management of our waste is a core service, and in confronting the climate crisis it is clear that we must do better. We need to transport less to landfills and increase our composting programmes; this will be done by changes to the frequency of garbage collection and improving composting and recycling rates in the City.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from our operations and building safer pedestrian and bike friendly streets will help us reach our goal. Protecting the biodiversity in our parks and green spaces will continue to be a priority.

Safety and Mobility

Like sustainability, safety and mobility are front and centre in our decision-making process. When we rebuild roads, for example, safety is always at the core of the design process, as we are often looking to introduce traffic calming measures. We are polling residents and schools to make our school zones better and safer. We are committed to a Vision Zero action plan to ensure that pedestrian safety is our guiding principle.

Investing in Our People

As we confront a competitive labour market, our goal is to be an employer of choice. The appointment of Julie Mandeville as our new Director General is an important step in the right direction, as we are confident she has the experience and background required to lead our team at City Hall. With her help, we are focusing on recruitment, retention, and ensuring we have the right people in the right roles while providing our staff with the tools, technology and support they need to be successful.

As I stated at the outset, our goal is for Westmount to remain a vibrant and safe city from all vantage points. We are determined to move forward with a multi-faceted plan that addresses our fiscal, physical, architectural, environmental and social challenges.

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

We encourage all Westmounters to provide us with feedback by taking part in our public consultations, responding to our surveys, attending Council meetings or reaching out to their local Councillor. We need to hear from you to ensure we are meeting your needs.

Did you know that the monarch butterfly population has dropped by more than 90 percent in the last 20 years? Along with deforestation and pesticide use, one of the main causes of this decline is the drastic reduction of the asclepias plant, commonly known as Milkweed. Milkweed is the only plant that can feed the caterpillars of Canadian monarch butterflies and is the preferred plant on which they lay their eggs.

Created by the U.S. National Wildlife Federation, the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge programme has expanded to become a tri-national programme, promoted in Canada by the David Suzuki Foundation. Through the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, more than 300 communities have committed to create monarch habitat and engage their residents in educational and conservation projects. The City of Westmount is proud to announce our official participation and ongoing support of this initiative.

Here is a list of just a few of the many actions the City of Westmount has committed to taking as part of this programme:

• Distribution of free milkweed seeds to residents during public events and throughout the year with the Westmount Library Seed Lending programme
• Installation of an educational butterfly garden next to the Library in Westmount Park which will feature Milkweed and other pollinator friendly plants
• City flower beds and planters will continue to have plant species that attract and feed butterflies and other pollinators such as bees
• Westmount is committed to reducing impermeable cement surfaces every year and including naturalized planting zones and water retention basins in public spaces
• Westmount has revised its grass mowing operations to allow targeted areas to grow longer and naturalize with indigenous plants

Residents can participate by creating butterfly and pollinator gardens in their own yards and gardens by incorporating the following beneficial flowers and plants:

• Common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
• Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata
• Butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa
• New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
• Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea
• Yarrow Achillea millefolium
• Wild columbine Aquilegia canadensis
• Wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa
• Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta
• Anise hyssop Agastache foeniculum
• Lance leaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata
• Woodland Sunflower Helianthus divaricatus
• Evening primrose Oenothera biennis
• Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea

À venir.