By Matthew Daldalian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
As Rosemère heads into municipal elections, Mayor Eric Westram is asking voters to weigh his record: eight years as mayor following 12 years on council, and a tenure marked by service to residents, financial caution and ongoing disputes over development.
Background and accomplishments
Westram, a Rosemère resident since 1980, entered politics more than 20 years ago. He served three terms as a councillor before being elected mayor in 2017. He said his main achievement has been keeping close to citizens.
“I’m very proud to have been chosen by the population for all those years,” Westram said.
One of his early priorities as mayor was changing the culture inside City Hall. He wanted staff to understand that “our customers are the taxpayers” and to focus on service. He said that shift took time, but is now reflected across departments.
“You don’t change culture over the flip of a coin,” he said. But over time, he argues the mandate has taken root.
Westram also pointed to challenges the city faced through the pandemic, when offices were nearly empty. He noted the town managed to restore services while residents became more demanding and anxious. “Society has changed as a whole,” he said, and city staff had to adjust.
On the environmental front, the town cut down roughly 6,000 ash trees due to the borer infestation, but has since replanted to preserve Rosemère’s green character. Westram said maintaining the town’s scenery is a priority.
Budget pressures
Inflation and rising costs remain a major concern. Westram said essential expenses such as chemicals for the water plant and asphalt for road work have become much more expensive. Despite that, Rosemère has kept tax increases relatively low compared with surrounding municipalities.
The mayor argues careful financial management has allowed the city to maintain services without steep tax hikes, even as residents feel the broader strain of higher living costs.
“And we had to be very careful for every dime that we would invest,” Westram added.
Development and disputes
The future of Rosemère’s former golf course has become one of the town’s most contentious issues. Westram said his team campaigned on a plan to split the land between construction and green space. After the election, divisions within the council emerged, with some councillors withdrawing support.
That disagreement led to a prolonged legal dispute with the property owners. Westram now argues for a negotiated compromise that would allow limited housing development while preserving a significant portion of green space.
Another challenge is Place Rosemère, the regional shopping mall that has lost value and tenants in recent years as online shopping grew.
The town recently adopted a planning framework to allow residential units on the site, following a North American trend of turning malls into mixed-use districts. Westram said this step should help stabilize local revenues while modernizing the area.
Community concerns
Traffic remains the top concern Westram hears from residents. He said the town has limited exits to Autoroute 640, and congestion has worsened as nearby communities have grown. Rosemère has pushed the province for improvements while making local adjustments to ease circulation.
Residents have also raised concerns about climate change and flooding. Last year, heavy rain damaged many homes. Westram has pledged major investments in infrastructure to reduce future risks.
The mayor’s approach
Westram describes himself as a hands-on mayor who listens directly to residents. He said people often approach him in public, and he tries to hear them out even when conversations are difficult. “It’s almost more like a psychologist than a manager,” he said of the role.
He also points to staff retention at City Hall as a sign of stability. “Any employee here could leave for another city, we have been able to keep our employees here,” he said, adding that a change in leadership could disrupt that.
Looking ahead
If re-elected, Westram said his priorities would be to resolve the golf course dispute, implement the new plan for Place Rosemère, and move forward with infrastructure projects to protect against flooding and climate impacts. He framed his pitch as continuity: steady leadership, cautious finances, and a focus on keeping Rosemère’s green, small-town character intact.
“I’ve kept myself close to the citizens,” Westram said. The decision, he added, now rests with them.
