2008 wasn’t all blah

And a lot of what happened in between made 2008 a year some might prefer to forget.

But of course it was not all blah…Westmount saw quite a few milestones well worth celebrating, most notably the centennials of the much-respected and influential Westmount Municipal Association and a few venerable educational institutions, among them Selwyn House and Roslyn School — both of which have produced an impressive roster of accomplished alumni who went on to make their mark, not only in the local community but in the world.

Of all the personalities and newsmakers who contributed to the 2008 page in Westmount’s history book, most would agree that the year belonged to Marc Garneau. From the autumn of 2007, when after a loud round of protests from constituents Liberal leader Stephane Dion reversed a previous decision and confirmed him as the candidate to replace the retiring Lucienne Robillard, Mr. Garneau embarked on an election campaign that would end up lasting nearly a year.

When he finally won the riding in the October federal election, Westmounters got what many had been clamouring for — an MP who not only lives in Westmount, but someone who is thoroughly familiar with the community and is well aware of local issues and concerns. This may not sound like a big deal, but it certainly comes as a breath of fresh air when compared with the prospect of another four years (or six months in Canadian politics) of representation by a non-resident who was parachuted in for a guaranteed win in this “safe” riding. As someone said of Mr. Garneau at the Meet the Candidates evening shortly before the ultimately aborted September by-election, “Even if he hadn’t known the riding like the back of his hand before this, he sure does now!”

With several positive things on the horizon, including major City projects such as newly refurbished playing fields in Westmount Park and exciting new changes planned for the arena and pool, we now look forward to 2009 with all due optimism, and hope it brings a lot more good news than we had over the past 12 months.

Happy New Year to one and all!