Mayor Christina Smith

Westmount council presents major development plan in public Town Hall

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

The proposed redevelopment of Westmount’s southeast sector continues to stir controversy for some of the city’s residents. Knowing that last week’s public consultation evening to inform residents of the latest version of the Southeast Special Planning Program would draw more people than council chambers could hold, council held the event at Victoria Hall.

Mayor Christina Smith and her Urban Planning team repeated several times throughout the meeting that the proposal is just that, a vision rather than a concrete plan.

“What we will present this evening is not a construction project,” Smith said, “it is not building applications. It’s a roadmap. It’s a planning tool that will help guide the future development of this area while respecting its architectural and heritage identity.”

The new version was prepared by Lemay Architects last month. It addressed concerns about density. The original proposal called for a 25-storey tower at the south-west corner of Ste. Catherine and Atwater, next to the Atwater Library. The new proposal now calls for just 20 storeys with three more towers further along Ste. Catherine.

The new proposal also calls for the use of podiums in the construction of new towers, which would mean the buildings could be set further back from the street.

“What can we do,” Smith asked, “to ensure that younger generations can continue living in our city? What solutions can we offer our growing number of seniors residents who want to continue living in our city in suitable accommodations?”

Jessica Winton, a recent graduate of Concordia University’s Urban Planning program, said she appreciates the new proposal’s improvements over the original, but expressed concern about affordable housing.

Westmount Urban Planning Director Frédéric Neault responded that the proposal will increase housing, adapt existing standards in terms of dwelling size from 700 square feet to 550 square feet – “the equivalent of a one-room apartment.”

The proposal is supposed to go to a vote on September 8. Former Westmount Mayor Karin Marks called on council to hold off on the vote until after the next election, asking that the vote not be rushed, but be handed over to the next council “to complete the project.”

Resident James Murphy supports the plan, referring to the area in question as “the blight in Southeast Westmount.” He praised the mayor for taking community feedback into account with the new version of the plan, saying “I think we’re at the point, now, we just need to move forward, do it as soon as possible so that we can start welcoming the new neighbours and the new businesses that can bring that area to life.” n

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Rotrand’s United Against Hate calls for Montreal ‘bubble law’

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / August 6, 2025 / : Joel Goldenberg, Mayor Christina Smith, Neil Oberman

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The United Against Hate organization is calling on Montreal mayoral candidates and demerged island municipalities to commit to passing “bubble legislation,” to create a safe zone around local institutions.

For many months, lawyer Neil Oberman has been successfully obtaining injunctions to protect Jewish institutions, by keeping anti-Israel protesters a far distance away from the buildings involved.

Inspired by and built on Oberman’s injunctions, Côte St. Luc and Hampstead councils passed bylaws in April 2024 designating where protests can take place — Hampstead’s says 100 metres from institutions, CSL’s says 50 metres.

In Westmount, as reported by The Suburban, Mayor Christina Smith late last year asked Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel to intervene to quash anti-Israel protests that have occurred weekly “blocking residential streets, causing noise, letting off smoke bombs and not allowing entry nor exit for residents in their own homes.”

United Against Hate Director General Marvin Rotrand told The Suburban that his organization’s call for a bubble law “was one of our 18 recommendations to the Quebec regional meeting of the National Forum to Combat Antisemitism.”

The United Against Hate recommendations related to bubble legislation were that “mayoralty candidates be asked to commit to the adoption by the City of Montreal of such a bylaw to protect vulnerable institutions and faith-based schools.

“We also urge [demerged] municipalities within the agglomeration to adopt similar bylaws for their territory.”

Rotrand added that last week, “our board approved a national campaign to urge municipalities to adopt such bylaws. We will be providing information on the Vaughan and Brampton bylaw as as well as the Toronto motion which should lead to a motion by May.”

A letter from Rotrand to Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek points out that “protesters chanting hateful slogans have on numerous occasions [across Canada] blocked access and egress to such institutions with the aim of disrupting worship, social activities and teaching.

“Most frequently targeted have been synagogues and Jewish private schools, but there have also been many cases of protesters at Sikh gurdwaras and Hindu temples. There have been some arrests, but police response has been tentative, despite many cases of overt hate that likely contravened the Criminal Code. The rules governing protests are, for many police departments, simply not clear enough.” n

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Westmount appeals to Quebec to stop protests

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / December 24, 2024 / Dan Laxer, Jennifer Maccarone, Mayor Christina Smith, Westmount

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Westmount Mayor Christina Smith and Westmount-Saint Louis MNA Jennifer Maccarone have sent a joint letter to Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante and Quebec Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel demanding that something be done to quash antisemitic and anti-Israel demonstrations, particularly in the residential area around the Israeli consulate in Westmount Square. This is the first time a local Mayor has directly involved Quebec in an appeal for public security since these demonstrations started after the Oct. 7, 2023 barbarous Hamas attack on Israel.

The demonstrations that have taken place around the consulate over the past year have made life increasingly difficult for residents who live and work in the area, say Smith and Maccarone. Many residents are senior citizens who are blocked from leaving or entering their homes, and businesses have suffered financial losses as customers avoid the area.

“The situation has become more and more volatile,” reads the letter. Last October 7, after a peaceful student vigil in downtown Montreal, near McGill University, masked pro-Hamas protesters marched from Concordia to McGill, where they smashed windows. McGill University confirmed that evening that a security guard had been assaulted.

In the letter, Smith and Maccarone ask that immediate and decisive measures be taken to prevent further disturbances. “Over the course of the past year we have been in regular contact with the SPVM.” Despite that, they say, “little has been done to respond to the rising concerns” of the residents in the area.

It’s time for the city and the province to intervene, the letter says. They are calling for an emergency plan, and the need for further resources, including the help of the Sûreté du Québec, to manage future demonstrations, either to redirect marches or implement a special intervention force to prevent further disturbances and threats of violence.

“This problem cannot wait,” the letter concludes, “and we hope that you act quickly to ensure the security and protection of all.” n

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