In the words of retired Montreal cop John Westlake, “the clock was ticking” last week as his family was running out of time to find a distribution centre for Elves Filling Shelves, a Pierrefonds-based charity group that has been donating Christmas toys, supplies and food baskets to the needy since 2018.

In a provincial election that saw a minority government elected with one of the lowest levels of voter support in more than a generation, one West Island MNA claimed victory with the highest level of votes cast in a riding in the past two elections.

As the Montreal Police Department’s arson squad continues its criminal investigation into last Saturday’s torching of a car parked in the driveway of a Dollard des Ormeaux residence, the number of similar cases hitting Dollard in the past few years is keeping arson and major crime investigators busy.

Longtime musician and first-term Ste. Anne de Bellevue town councillor Jeff Smallwood is scheduled to return home from Paris this weekend after sharing the stage this past month with the legendary Céline Dion, wrapping up a 26-show engagement in the City of Light.

With its busiest time of the year only several weeks away, controversy is brewing at the West Island’s largest food bank, with calls from some employees, board members and volunteers for its boss to step down, saying his leadership is affecting the organization’s relationship with the community.

Police and paramedics were kept busy tracking down suspects of two vicious knife attacks in and around the West Island last weekend, which resulted in multiple injuries to at least two victims, along with the arrest of one suspect, while the manhunt for two other possible suspects continues.

As Quebec’s political parties meet and prepare for the upcoming session, one prominent member of the Quebec Liberal caucus says his team will bring a renewed energy and focus to its role as the official opposition in the National Assembly, while keeping in mind the likely possibility that another election could be called well before the new term is scheduled to end.

A new indoor soccer centre aiming to attract West Island players is set to open its doors this Saturday, offering an array of high-tech training and tools for fans of the beautiful game.

With fuel costs still rising and inflation continuing its upward march, the real estate market in the West Island showed mixed results in the third quarter of 2026 — with the median price of a single-family home in some municipalities in the region rising, while in others they took a slight dip, according to figures compiled by Centris, the most used real estate website in Quebec.

Dorval Mayor Marc Doret was among the delegation of municipal representatives with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in Ottawa last week to brief a number of key ministers ahead of the upcoming federal budget on the challenges municipalities face.