Westmount vote 2025:
Kathleen Kez – District 8

WestmountMag.ca invites Westmount City Council candidates to present their platform

WestmountMag.ca extended an invitation to all 25 Westmount council candidates and those acclaimed to provide an article about themselves and their platform on a first-supplied, first-published basis. Here we present Kathleen Kez, incumbent for District 8.

The articles are reproduced verbatim without corrections.

As a 2-term city councillor, I have gained invaluable experience in how the city works and where improvements need to be made. Addressing the many complex issues of District 8 is a full-time job, and I am ready for it.

Having been Commissioner of Finance in my first mandate and commissioner of Public Security in my second mandate, member of the Finance and administration committee, member of the Transportation advisory committee coupled with my background in accounting, not only am I equipped for the job to make sound financial decisions regarding our aging infrastructure, but I will continue to listen, work hard with integrity and transparency for district 8 residents all the while ensuring adequate resources are allocated to our wonderful district.

As in the past, I am running as an independent candidate and will continue to prioritize listening to residents and help them any way I can.

Recently, there has been much focus on District 8 with regard to the redevelopment of the southeast sector. Residents in the area know firsthand the dilapidated state the sector has been allowed to become. I want to be there every step of the way to ensure that the redevelopment is respectful of our neighborhood and is the best it can be – we must get it right! Climate extremes are no longer rare. In the summer months, temperatures in the southeast are more than 4 degrees above those found in other areas of Westmount. That’s why I will continue to push for as much green space and tree canopy as possible to be incorporated into the redevelopment plan.

However, the redevelopment of our area is not the only topic of concern; there are many other ongoing issues that need to be addressed.

We live in and around a beautiful residential enclave; however, we are surrounded by major roads, a busy commercial area, we have the Ville Marie Expressway to the south of us, we endure regular protests, and though homelessness has been on the rise all over the city, these elements are even closer to our district, given our geographical proximity to downtown.

Though there has been some progress in our area, there is still much to do, and if re-elected, I will continue to seek improvements to enhance our everyday quality of life, some of which include:

The urgent need for immediate attention in ensuring the safety and cleanliness of St. Catherine Street and surrounding area.
Redevelopment in the area will not happen overnight, and the need for improvements (lighting, plantings, murals or screening of dilapidated buildings…) is not an option!
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Homelessness and safety in the area.
The safety of our residents is a priority and taken seriously. The homeless situation is a complex one, and I am committed to continuously seeking proactive solutions that help the homeless not only transition to but also accept stable, independent living. I will continue to collaborate with Montreal and all levels of governments to address homelessness in a way that is both compassionate and effective, not always easy to do! My priority is to keep our wonderful district safe. I will continue to be in constant communication with our administration, public safety, the SPVM and CIUSS (Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux) regarding homelessness and safety on our territory.
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Residents living beside the Ville Marie Expressway need some relief.
Over the last 8 years we have taken the MTQ to the courts arguing that the highway was not lowered as originally planned but the judgement was not in our favor. Next, we built a case arguing that the noise pollution from the Ville Marie was louder post construction than preconstruction, but unfortunately the independent sound measures taken did not support our claim. Regardless, it is not acceptable that in this day and age the MTQ is not obliged to install a sound barrier along the north side of the Ville Marie expressway running along our territory. It is time for our MNA to intervene at the Provincial level, and for our MP to intervene at the Federal level… and I will push hard for this!
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Though our Canadian Charter allows for freedom of speech, there is no room for antisemitism, violence or hate.
We need to continue to work closely with Montreal to ensure adequate law enforcement is allocated to our area during demonstrations. But what is needed is a law requiring permits for regular protests and we need to ensure the Quebec National Assembly gives the police the tools they need as right now all they can do is deescalate.
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The return of Selby Park for 2026.
A green space our residents have been waiting for since 2015
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Our lanes, sidewalks, and roads are in urgent need of repair.
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There needs to be proper maintenance and enhancements of our parks and green spaces.
Given the density of our district, every inch of green space is important. Not only do we need more trees, but we need to better maintain, protect, preserve, and enhance whatever little green space we have.
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More traffic calming measures for our roads and lanes to ensure the safety of all.
The overflow of traffic from certain roads can be a burden on our residential streets as well as our lanes. We need more traffic control measures to ensure the safety of all.
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There is a need for resident-only parking zones on many of our residential streets. Due to our proximity to a busy commercial area and the RCMP building, we need some dedicated 24 hour “resident only” parking zones on our residential streets to address the ongoing challenges of daytime parking.

We need to prioritize and fix the basics!

I am excited about the next 4 years and hope to get the support of residents to allow me the opportunity to continue my work in making District 8 a better place to live for present and future residents!

For more information, please visit my website kathleenkez.ca

Image: courtesy of Kathleen KezRead other candidate platforms