Westmount vote 2025:
Lynne Casgrain – Mayor

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 Lynne Casgrain, candidate for Mayor.

The articles are reproduced verbatim without corrections.

It’s Time for a Change. Vote Lynne Casgrain for Mayor of Westmount.

This mayoral campaign has been fuelled by an exciting exchange of ideas and thoughts. I have learned what makes everyone call Westmount their cherished “home.” I have also heard your concerns. It has been my absolute pleasure to meet each one of you and I thank you for the constructive input that served as a road map for my campaign.

Only one of the three candidates running in this election can be elected Mayor, but I’m hoping that all three of us can find appropriate ways to help our community prosper in the years ahead. The same goes for all the candidates for Councillor – 21 in total – who have shown up, eager to assist our community for the next four years. Congratulations to all!

Two questions that come up:

Why do I want to be your mayor? And why do I think I have what it takes to be Mayor?

First, I love Westmount, where I have lived for 43 years. I now have the opportunity to demonstrate my appreciation and improve our quality of life in the most cost-effective manner possible. I offer my professional and personal skills, which include 20 years of experience in problem identification and resolution as former Ombudsperson for the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). I am a senior partner at the Grey Casgrain law firm. I know municipal law and how to operate within its legal framework. I also understand how the different levels of governments function through my experience serving on numerous boards.

I have built my career by bringing people together to find creative, lasting solutions.

I will use the same skills and personal and professional integrity to reexamine and balance how services are delivered to you. This rebalancing is essential when you consider what has been lacking in the last years. One must consider, why was there no meaningful consultation or exchange with residents on changes to garbage collection? Where was the meaningful consultation that informed the city’s decisions on the reconfiguration of Lexington, of Claremont, of Forden? Why did so many residents feel unheard in the planning of the Southeast development? Why were so many trees cut down in King George Park when residents felt that they had not been clearly informed of the analyses supporting those decisions? Why are our security needs not being met when our taxes pay for police SPVM services?

I strongly believe that these missteps can be eliminated through a new approach with better transparency and communication — the pillars upon which I have built my ombuds career.

In recent years, I– like you – have watched with growing uneasiness as municipal services have slipped, as streets, sidewalks and parks have deteriorated, as decisions have been made without meaningful consultation, and most importantly, as projects have been planned without financial accountability and forecasting. I’ve also heard residents voice safety concerns. The challenges are numerous. Priorities will have to be established.

My vision as Mayor of Westmount is based on three pillars:

Responsible governance
Rebuild trust with you, the citizens, through a new council where transparency and accountability guide all our actions.

Better communication
Cultivate open, honest communications and sharing of information. No Spin. No Silence.

Defence of Westmount’s interests
Set municipal priorities; deliver municipal services; spend tax dollars prudently; proactively advocate for Westmount outside of its borders, at the Agglomeration Council and with representatives of the other levels of government.

These three pillars will underpin every solution that we bring forward.

Westmount needs a comprehensive Asset Management Plan. Residents need to know about it and have the chance to monitor its progress.

There has been a lot of talk about crumbling infrastructure. This is not fear-mongering. It is true:

Roads and sidewalks are in a dreadful state. In 2017, Westmount spent $12 million (in today’s dollars) on roads and sidewalks; in 2024, the outgoing council only managed to spend $6.5 million.
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Parks are suffering; the paths are broken and dangerous, the hills are bald; many benches are splintered and rotten. Trees are not in good health.
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City owned buildings are neglected; the greenhouses and the train station serve no purpose.
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Water and sewer systems need major updating.

We have been told that the City has an asset management plan, but it is incomplete. We must create a comprehensive Asset Management Plan, that includes the full lifecycle of every asset as well as the value of services derived from it. This ‘living’ document is an essential tool, if we want to tackle the work in a logical, cost-effective and sustainable manner. We will also use the plan to inform citizens of progress, by including a regularly updated status report on each project.

Westmount needs a mayor who is fiscally prudent and disciplined

Fiscal responsibility is a key element of the council mandate. How are Westmounters’ tax dollars spent? Is there an equitable approach to how the city prioritizes certain expenses over others?

Westmount’s 2025 budget is 137M$, of which 52% goes directly to the Agglomeration of Montreal. Our operating budget for all city expenses, and projects must be financed with the remaining 48%. With all the priorities in infrastructure, an obsession with budget is imperative.  I intend to closely oversee the City’s financial operations.

Feeling safe at home

Feeling safe in our own city should be a right for every Westmounter.

While we are fortunate to have a department of Public Security, its powers are limited. According to the law, the Montreal Police (SPVM) reports only to the Mayor of Montreal. Becoming a safer and more secure Westmount will require action. From pressuring the Montreal Agglomeration’s Public Security Commission to lobbying for improvements in police operations at demonstrations, to improving the City’s communications processes for advance warnings, to reviewing municipal and provincial legislation to ensure they are enforced, these are among numerous initiatives that will help build a structure of support and trust that residents can rely on.

An interim plan for the southeast

By now most of you are well aware of the divisive nature of the Programme particulier d’urbanisme (“PPU”) approved by Council in the closing weeks of its mandate. This was in spite of much vocal opposition, including a petition signed by over 1000 residents. This approval cannot be undone; it is time to turn the page. We have to push forward, mitigating the negative impact and bringing improvements to the plan.

Before any shovel starts digging, we need an interim plan to make the area more hospitable while we collaborate with the City of Montreal and numerous organizations to address the humanitarian crisis of homelessness. The city can improve street lighting, provide attractive street furniture, and encourage pop-up events, food trucks, seasonal activities, such as a Christmas market. A reenergized stretch of St. Catherine Street can benefit residents and merchants. Meanwhile, the new Council will advance with plans on what will be built on the city-owned Tupper parking lots, but with transparency and openness to resident input.

We also need to respond to residents’ questions about the PPU that were left unanswered by the last Council. This will be critical to rebuild trust.

I will be advocating for more meaningful consultation with all Westmounters, owners and renters, to ensure that our City meets and even exceeds your expectations.

I am looking forward to serving as your Mayor and to be worthy of the trust that you have shown in me.

On November 2, vote Lynne Casgrain for Mayor of Westmount.

Image: Sonia Martínez

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