Westmount, Nova Scotia

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Westmount, Nova Scotia
settlement_type = Community
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = CAN
subdivision_type1 = Provice
subdivision_name1 = flag|Nova Scotia
subdivision_type2 = Municipality
subdivision_name2 = Cape Breton Regional Municipality
area_total_km2 =
area_land_km2 =
area_water_km2 =
area_total_sq_mi =
area_land_sq_mi =
area_water_sq_mi =
population_as_of = 2001: From "StatsCan"
population_total = 3,000
population_density_sq_mi =
population_density_blank1_km2 =
population_density_blank1_sq_mi =
timezone = AST
utc_offset = -4
timezone_DST = ADT
utc_offset_DST = -3
area_code = 902

Westmount (2001 pop.: 3,000) is a community in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

Geography

Located on the west bank of the Sydney River at the point where Sydney Harbour begins, Westmount faces Sydney's downtown. Neighbouring communities include Point Edward, Coxheath and Edwardsville [ [http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=46137144&x=-60205894&z=14&l=0&m=a Satellite image of Westmount and Sydney from WikiMapia] ] . Westmount is a suburban community and the majority of residents commute to the CBRM urban core in Sydney.

Education

There are several public schools in Westmount, as well as one post-secondary institution. These include:

*Robin Foote Elementary School (gr. P-6) on Sunnydale Drive
**Principal Donna Rankin Neville
**Vice-Principal Andy Culligan
*MacLennan Junior High School (gr. 7-9) also on Sunnydale Drive.
**Principal Redmond MacDougall
**Vice-Principal Stephaine Campbell.
**MacLennan was the first public school in Nova Scotia to obtain an Internet connection, as well as produce an educational CD-Rom.
** The majority of students graduating from MacLennon Junior High attend Riverview Rural High School, in Coxheath.
*Canadian Coast Guard College

Recently Westmount has seen an addition to the community in the form of a new Montessori private elementary school. This facility has opened in a building which was formerly used as a satellite by Robin Foote Elementary to accommodate the school’s overflowing Primary and Grade 1 classes.

Government

As part of the CBRM, Westmount is represented by a municipal councilor, the current councilor for District 12, which includes Westmount, is Claire Detheridge [ [http://www.cbrm.ns.ca/portal/civic/councillors/district12.asp CBRM Home Page - Claire Dethridge] ] .

Religion

With the exception of a few families almost the entire populous of Westmount is Christian. The churches located in Westmount include:

*Holy Rosary Roman Catholic
*Westmount United
*Saint Aidan’s Anglican (This church was a member of St Mark’s Parish in Coxheath but was closed several years ago. It is now used as a dance school.)

Amenities and Places of Interest

Westmount is also home to Petersfield Provincial Park [ [http://parks.gov.ns.ca/parks/data/Petersfield04.pdf Petersfield Provincial Park Historical Information] ] . The park was formerly a private family estate and home to the 18th century Mayor of New York City, David Mathews. The grounds have been designated as a historical property and are home to the ruins of a large manor house and caretaker’s home. Canada Day festivities are held at the park every year.

The other amenities in Westmount include:

*Westmount Volunteer Fire Department
*Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 125
*East Gate #127 Masonic Hall and Seniors Centre
*The Dobson Yacht Club
*Westmount Dental Office

Notable Names

People of note who live/lived in Westmount include:

*Howie MacDonald (A well known Cape Breton fiddler and former Conservative candidate for the Sydney — Victoria district, during the 2004 and 2006 Canadian federal elections) [ [http://members.shaw.ca/kimberleyw/canadacelticmusic/howiemacdonald/ Howie MacDonald – Canadian Celtic Music Artist Spotlight October 2002] ]
*John Morgan (Mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality)
*John Newell (The Progressive Conservative MLA for Cape Breton The Lakes 1983-1988)
*David Mathews (A British Loyalist who was active during the American Revolution, and the Mayor of New York City from 1776 - 1783.) [ [http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=36176 David Mathews Biography] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.cbrm.ns.ca/portal/default.asp Cape Breton Regional Municipality Official Website]
* [http://www.cgc.gc.ca/ The Canadian Coast Guard Official Website]
* [http://www.cbv.ns.ca/macl/ MacLennan Junior High School]
* [http://www.cbv.ns.ca/RobinFoote/R_F_E_School_home.html Robin Foote Elementary School]
* [http://www.harbourviewmontessori.ca HarbourView Montessori School]
* [http://www.cbv.ns.ca/rv/default.shtml Riverview Rural High School]
* [http://users.eastlink.ca/~mcintosh/westmount.htm Westmount United Church]
* [http://www.grandlodgens.org/lodge/lodgesdisp4.php?Lodge_Number=127 East Gate #127 Masonic Hall and Seniors Centre]

* [http://www.dobsonyachtclub.ca/ The Dobson Yacht Club]