Westmount, Nova Scotia

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 has two elementary schools, as well as one post-secondary institution. These include:

• Robin Foote Elementary School (gr. P-6, latterly grades P-5)
• Harbourview Montessori (elementary grades)
• This facility was opened in a building, formerly used by Robin Foote Elementary to accommodate Primary and Grade 1 overflow classes.
• MacLennan Junior High School (gr. 7-9, latterly grades 6-8)
• MacLennan was decommissioned by the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board in the mid-2010s and demolished several years later.
• MacLennan was the first public school in Nova Scotia to obtain an internet connection, and produce an educational CD-ROM.
• Canadian Coast Guard College

As part of the CBRM, Westmount is represented by the municipal councilor for District 4, Steve Gillespie. Westmount is also represented by Jaime Battiste in the federal riding of Sydney-Victoria, and by Murray Ryan in the provincial riding of Northside-Westmount

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

• Holy Rosary Roman Catholic
• Westmount United
• Saint Aidan's Anglican
• Saint Aidan's was a member of St Mark's Parish in Coxheath, but was closed and de-consecrated in the mid-2000s.
• The building was used as a dance school for several years by the Cape Breton School of the Arts, but as of 2020 has been repurposed as apartments.

Westmount is home to Petersfield Provincial Park.{{cite web

|url = http://www.novascotiaparks.ca/misc/parks_a-z_info.asp#petersfield

|title = Info on Parks A - Z - Petersfield Provincial Park

|publisher = Nova Scotia Natural Resources

|access-date = January 1, 2016

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160112175441/http://www.novascotiaparks.ca/misc/parks_a-z_info.asp#petersfield#petersfield

|archive-date = 2016-01-12

|url-status = dead

}} The park was formerly a private family estate and home to the 18th century Mayor of New York City, David Mathews and later the industrialist and Senator, John Stewart McLennan. The grounds have been designated as a historical property and are home to the ruins of a large manor house and caretaker's home..

{{cite web

| url = http://www.cbrl.ca/mclennans/petersfield.html

| title = McLennans at Petersfield

| publisher = Cape Breton Regional Library

| access-date = January 1, 2016

}}

Canada Day festivities are held at the park every year. The only building from the former estate that still stands is the boathouse, which was moved approx. 1 km down shore from the estate, and converted to a private residence.

Other amenities in Westmount include:

• Westmount Volunteer Fire Department
• Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 126
• The Dobson Yacht Club
• Westmount Dental Office

People of note who live or have lived in Westmount include:

• Howie MacDonald, Cape Breton fiddler,{{cite web|url=http://members.shaw.ca/kimberleyw/canadacelticmusic/howiemacdonald/|title=Howie MacDonald Artist Spotlight|work=Canadian Celtic Music|date=October 2002|access-date=2014-12-13}} Conservative candidate for the Sydney—Victoria district, during the 2004{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?2004/05/27+295.raw+FE04May27+2|title=MacDonald gets nod in Sydney-Victoria|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=May 27, 2004|access-date=2014-12-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050124021359/http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?2004%2F05%2F27+295.raw+FE04May27+2#|archive-date=2005-01-24|url-status=dead}} and 2006 federal elections{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.ca/Scripts/vis/PastResults?L=e&ED=12010&EV=99&EV_TYPE=6&QID=-1&PAGEID=28|title=Past results Sydney—Victoria|work=Elections Canada|access-date=2014-12-13}}
• Peter Mancini, politician, lawyer, MP for Sydney—Victoria (1997–2000){{cite web|url=http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2014-12-12/article-3974426/Cape-Breton-lawyer-among-Queens-Counsel-honourees/1|title=Cape Breton lawyer among Queen's Counsel honourees|work=Cape Breton Post|date=December 12, 2014|access-date=2014-12-13}}
• David Mathews, British Loyalist who was active during the American Revolution, Mayor of New York City (1776–1783){{cite DCB |first=R. J. |last=Morgan |title=Mathews, David |volume=4 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mathews_david_4E.html |accessdate=2014-12-13}}
• John Stewart McLennan, industrialist, publisher and politician.{{cite DCB |first=A.J.B. |last=Johnston |title=McLennan, John Stewart |volume=16 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mclennan_john_stewart_16E.html |accessdate=2016-01-01}}
• John W. Morgan, politician, Mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (2000–2012)
• John Newell, politician, MLA for Cape Breton The Lakes (1983–1988)

{{reflist|2}}

• [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/RobinFoote/R_F_E_School_home.html Robin Foote Elementary School]
• [http://www.harbourviewmontessori.ca HarbourView Montessori School]
• [http://www.dobsonyachtclub.ca/ The Dobson Yacht Club]
• [https://historicnovascotia.ca/items/show/21 Historic Nova Scotia - Petersfield]

{{Coord|46|8|27.3|N|60|12|36.7|W|display=title}}

Category:Communities in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality