A Letter to the Almonte Community,
Over the coming months, many of you will notice construction activity beginning on Carss Street as work gets underway on Hilan Village. Before the roads are built and the homes begin to take shape, we wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves—not simply as developers and builders, but as three people whose lives have been shaped by this community.
Westview Homes is owned by the three of us—brothers Seth Richards and Cedar Nisbet, and longtime friend, Brad Doran-Veevers.
Cedar and Seth were born and raised on a farm in Cedar Hill, just outside Almonte. We eventually moved into town, attended Naismith Memorial Public School and graduated from Almonte District High School. Like many young people growing up here, we spent our evenings, weekends and summers working. We served tables at JR’s Restaurant and worked the rental shop at Mount Pakenham Ski Hill, where we learned the importance of hard work, showing up on time and taking pride in doing a job well done.
We were also fortunate to spend countless hours at Noreen Young’s studio, where our mother Janet Nisbet worked along side Noreen for years. Being exposed to creativity, art and culture at a young age left a lasting impression on us and continues to influence the way we see the world today.
Noreen’s brother, John, a renowned local cabinet maker, also had a profound influence on all three of us. Beyond teaching us the fundamentals of craftsmanship, he instilled a genuine appreciation for building things the right way—with care, patience and pride. Looking back, those early experiences sparked an interest in the building trades that ultimately shaped each of our careers.
One of the experiences that had a lasting impact on us came when we had the opportunity to work with Al Potvin during the redevelopment of the historic Thoburn Mill. At the time, we were just young kids, grateful for the opportunity to have a job. Looking back, we realize we were learning lessons about construction, redevelopment and, most importantly, the responsibility that comes with helping shape a community.
Brad’s connection to Almonte is just as personal. Although he grew up in neighbouring Carleton Place, he married Stephanie Attley, who was raised on Union Street in Almonte. Today, Brad and Stephanie are raising their two boys here. Brad has spent numerous hours supporting local minor hockey in town as a coach, and past chair of the Almonte Pakenham Minor Hockey Association.
Seth’s wife, Nicole Ramien, was also born and raised in Almonte. Nicole’s mother, Dorothy Ramien, is a past president of The Hub, and spent years providing leadership at the ballet school in town. In 2019, Seth and Nicole made the decision to move back home to raise their daughters in the same community that had shaped them.
Like so many families, we didn’t choose Almonte simply because it’s where we grew up. We chose it because it’s where we wanted to build our lives and raise our children.
Over the past ten years, we’ve had the privilege of growing Westview Projects throughout Eastern Ontario. We’ve built custom homes, numerous apartment buildings, a health hub, a veterinarian hospital, restored heritage buildings, built the headquarters for the Royal Canadian Geographic Society, a number of auto dealerships and numerous commercial projects in communities across the region. Every project has taught us something, strengthened our team and reinforced the values we try to bring to our work every day.
In 2020, Al Potvin approached us about the future of the Carss Street lands. He shared his vision of creating a new neighbourhood that would offer a mix of housing options, a central park where families could gather and connections to the river and Almonte’s incredible rail trail. More than anything, he wanted to create a community that felt like a natural extension of the town he loved.
For us, that conversation felt like life had come full circle. Years earlier, Al had given us an opportunity to learn from him. Now, he was placing his trust in us, to carry forward his creative vision for a new community in the town that had shaped all of us.
This week, after nearly six years of planning, engineering, and approvals, we officially began preparing the land for the roads, watermains and infrastructure that will eventually become Hilan Village.
We’re proud to be developers and builders. It’s our profession, it’s our business, and it’s how we’ve built our careers. We also recognize that building in your own hometown carries a different kind of responsibility. The neighbourhoods we build won’t just be places where we work—they’ll be places where our families live, where our children grow up, and where we’ll remain long after construction is complete.
That perspective has shaped the company we’ve worked to build over the past decade. At Westview, our mission is to strengthen the communities we serve by delivering successful projects rooted in quality, driven by integrity and executed with the highest level of service. We believe every relationship we build, and every development we’re entrusted to deliver, should reflect those commitments.
Hilan Village gives us the opportunity to put those values into practice here at home. We know that earning a fair return and creating lasting value for a community are not competing goals. In our experience, the best developments achieve both.
We also understand that growth and change can be emotional. For close to three decades, many local residents enjoyed the property. Al generously allowed people to walk the land, and we continued to allow access for the past five years. We understand that many people have personal memories connected to the property and recognize that changing a place with that sort of history carries a responsibility. Every new neighbourhood changes a community, and reasonable people won’t always agree on how that change should happen. We respect those perspectives because we share the same goal: preserving everything that makes Almonte special while ensuring future generations have the opportunity to live, work and raise their families here.
Over the coming months and years, we’ll continue to listen, to be present and to build with care. Long after the last home is completed, we’ll still be here—as neighbours, as business owners, as parents and as members of this community. We’re proud of the vision that’s been brought to life through years of planning, collaboration and thoughtful design, and we’re excited to see Hilan Village begin to take shape.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story. We look forward to continuing to earn your trust, not just through what we say, but through what we build.
Sincerely,
Seth, Brad & Cedar
Partners, Westview Homes
