Le Sud-Ouest is a
boroughThe city of Montreal is divided into 19 boroughs , each with a mayor and council.- Powers :The borough council is responsible for:*Fire prevention*Removal of household waste and residual materials*Funding of community...
(
arrondissementArrondissement is any of various administrative divisions of France, certain other Francophone countries, and the Netherlands.-France:The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a...
) of the city of
MontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
,
QuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Geography
Le Sud-Ouest is an amalgam of several neighbourhoods with highly distinct histories and identities, mainly with working-class and industrial origins, grouped around the
Lachine CanalThe Lachine Canal is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine, Lasalle and Sud-Ouest.The canal gets its name from the French word for China...
. These include Saint-Henri,
Little BurgundyLittle Burgundy is the informal name of a neighbourhood in the Sud-Ouest borough of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Geography:...
, and
GriffintownGriffintown is the popular name given to the former southwestern downtown part of Montreal, Quebec, which existed from the 1820s until the 1960s and was mainly populated by Irish immigrants and their descendants....
to the north of the canal, and
Ville-ÉmardVille-Émard is a neighbourhood located in the Sud-Ouest borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is the home of Angrignon Park.-Geography:This neighbourhood is bordered by the Aqueduct Canal, the borough of Verdun and the neighbourhood of Côte-Saint-Paul to the east, the borough of LaSalle to the...
,
Côte-Saint-PaulCôte-Saint-Paul is a neighbourhood located in the Southwest Borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-History:The concession of côte Saint-Paul was granted by the Sulpician Order, seigneurs of the Island of Montreal, in 1662...
, and
Pointe-Saint-CharlesPointe-Saint-Charles is a neighbourhood in the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Geography:...
to the south.
Located southwest of downtown Montreal (hence the name), the borough is bordered to the northwest by Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, to the northeast by the Ville-Marie borough, to the south by the borough of Verdun, to the west by the borough of LaSalle and to the north by the city of
WestmountWestmount is a city on the Island of Montreal, an enclave of the city of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada; pop. 20,494; area 4.02 km²; population density of 5,092.56 inhabitants/km²....
. The
Saint Lawrence RiverThe Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
is located upon part of its eastern edge.
History
- See History of Saint-Henri, History of Little Burgundy, History of Ville-Émard, History of Côte-Saint-Paul, and History of Pointe-Saint-Charles.
Originally devoted to agriculture, the various municipalities and districts of the Sud-Ouest underwent rapid industrialization following the opening of the Lachine Canal in 1825, becoming the cradle of Canadian industry thanks to both the transportation and the water power offered by the canal. The
Canadian National RailwayThe Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
and
Grand Trunk RailwayThe Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
also came through Saint-Henri and Pointe-Saint-Charles. The area became a stronghold of the working class, often in difficult conditions such as those described in
Gabrielle RoyGabrielle Roy, CC, FRSC was a French Canadian author.- Biography :Born in Saint Boniface , Manitoba, Roy was educated at Saint Joseph's Academy...
's
The Tin FluteThe Tin Flute , Gabrielle Roy’s first novel, is a classic of Canadian fiction...
, set in Saint-Henri.
The areas of the borough had highly specific identities. The western part of the borough - Saint-Henri, Ville-Émard, and Côte-Saint-Paul - were chiefly French Canadian, while Pointe-Saint-Charles and Griffintown were considered the seat of Irish culture in Montreal, with street names such as Hibernia and St. Patrick testifying to it. Starting in 1887, a large English-speaking
Black'Black Canadians is a designation used for people of Black African descent, who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada. The term specifically refers to Canadians with Sub-Saharan African ancestry. The majority of Black Canadians are of Caribbean origin...
community arose in Little Burgundy, attracted from the United States, other parts of Canada, and the Caribbean by jobs in the railways whose stations lay nearby; the area became famed for musical figures such as
Oscar PetersonOscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
.
The town of Saint-Henri was annexed to Montreal in 1905, Sainte-Cunégonde (Little Burgundy) in 1906, and Côte-Saint-Paul and Ville-Émard in 1910.
However, with vessels constantly growing and finally exceeding the capacity of the canal, the coming of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1956 and the closure of the Lachine Canal in 1970 put an end to the area's industrial prosperity. Population fell sharply and conditions became still more difficult. Projects such as the Décarie Expressway,
Turcot InterchangeThe Turcot Interchange is a freeway interchange within the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, that links Autoroutes 15, 20, and 720. It takes its name from the currently-abandoned Turcot rail yards over which it is built....
, Bonaventure Expressway, and Expo '67 destroyed entire neighbourhoods, such as Goose Village and part of Côte-Saint-Paul. However, community mobilization preserved the area's social fabric; in particular, the Pointe-Saint-Charles Community Clinic became the model for the
CLSCCLSCs in Quebec are free clinics which are run and maintained by the provincial government...
system now used throughout the province.
The reorganization of Montreal in 2002 following the municipal mergers saw the creation of the borough council system, and accordingly, the creation of the borough of Le Sud-Ouest. The borough council met in several temporary locations, including the Marie Uguay cultural centre in Ville-Émard, before the inauguration of the current borough hall in a repurposed factory in Saint-Henri.
Today, Le Sud-Ouest is undergoing an economic and social renaissance, stimulated by the reclamation of the canal for recreation in 2002; businesses opened up and numerous factories were converted into lofts and condominiums. This revival is bringing its own pressures, however, as gentrification increases property taxes and costs of living on the many low-income residents and puts pressure on the availability of low-income housing. The pending reconstruction of the Turcot Interchange and its impact on local residents is a major political issue in the borough.
Municipal
The borough is divided into two districts:
- Saint-Paul
Côte-Saint-Paul is a neighbourhood located in the Southwest Borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-History:The concession of côte Saint-Paul was granted by the Sulpician Order, seigneurs of the Island of Montreal, in 1662...
—ÉmardVille-Émard is a neighbourhood located in the Sud-Ouest borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is the home of Angrignon Park.-Geography:This neighbourhood is bordered by the Aqueduct Canal, the borough of Verdun and the neighbourhood of Côte-Saint-Paul to the east, the borough of LaSalle to the...
- Saint-Henri
Saint-Henri is a neighbourhood in southwestern Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the borough of Le Sud-Ouest.Saint-Henri is usually considered to be bounded to the east by avenue Atwater, to the west by Autoroute 15, to the north by Autoroute 720, and to the south by the Lachine Canal.- Description...
—Petite-BourgogneLittle Burgundy is the informal name of a neighbourhood in the Sud-Ouest borough of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Geography:...
—Pointe-Saint-CharlesPointe-Saint-Charles is a neighbourhood in the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Geography:...
As of the November 1, 2009
Montreal municipal electionThe city of Montreal, Quebec, held a municipal election at the same time as numerous other municipalities in Quebec, on November 1, 2009. Voters elected the Mayor of Montreal, Montreal City Council, and the mayors and councils of each of the city's boroughs....
, the current borough council consists of the following councillors:
| District |
Position |
Name |
|
Party |
| — |
Borough mayor
City councillorThe Montreal City Council is the governing body of Montreal, Quebec. The head of the city government in Montreal is the mayor, who is first among equals in the City Council. The mayor is Gérald Tremblay, who is a member of the Union des citoyens et des citoyennes de l'Île de Montréal...
|
Benoit Dorais |
|
Vision Montréal Vision Montreal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has been in existence since 1994 and presently forms the Official opposition on Montreal City Council under leader Louise Harel.-Origins:...
|
Saint-Henri–Petite-Bourgogne–
Pointe-Saint-Charles |
City councillor |
Véronique Fournier |
|
Vision Montréal Vision Montreal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has been in existence since 1994 and presently forms the Official opposition on Montreal City Council under leader Louise Harel.-Origins:...
|
| Borough councillor |
Sophie Thiébaut |
|
Projet Montréal Projet Montréal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Origins:Projet Montréal is possibly the first party since the Montreal Citizens' Movement that was not specifically established to promote a mayoral candidacy. It was created by environmental activists in May...
|
| Saint-Paul–Émard |
City councillor |
Daniel Bélanger |
|
Union Montréal Union Montreal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It currently governs Montreal's city government.-Origins:It was established as the Montreal Island Citizens Union in the aftermath of the province-wide municipal merger of 2001 and not long before the municipal election...
|
| Borough councillor |
Huguette Roy |
|
Vision Montréal Vision Montreal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has been in existence since 1994 and presently forms the Official opposition on Montreal City Council under leader Louise Harel.-Origins:...
|
Federal and provincial
The borough is divided among the following federal ridings:
- Jeanne-Le Ber
Jeanne-Le Ber is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004. Its population in 2006 was 112,863.-Geography:...
(Saint-Henri, Pointe-Saint-Charles, Little Burgundy, Griffintown, part of Côte-Saint-Paul)
- LaSalle—Émard
LaSalle—Émard is a federal electoral district in the Canadian province of Quebec that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. Its population in 2001 was 99,767. It is represented by New Democrat Hélène LeBlanc...
(Ville-Émard, part of Côte-Saint-Paul)
The bulk of the borough constitutes the provincial electoral district of
Saint-Henri—Sainte-AnneSaint-Henri—Sainte-Anne is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district is located in Montreal. Its boundaries are Autoroute 10 and Rue McGill to the north, the St. Lawrence River and the Canadian National railway to the...
; the industrial and railway area in the northeast is in the district of
Notre-Dame-de-GrâceNotre-Dame-de-Grâce is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec.The riding was created in 1939 from parts of the former Westmount provincial electoral district. The riding was called Montreal-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce from 1939 to 1965 and...
.
Transport
The borough is served by the
greenThe Green line is one of the four lines of the metro in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The line runs through the commercial section of downtown Montreal underneath Boulevard de Maisonneuve, formerly Rue de Montigny...
and
orangeThe Orange line is the longest, most congested, and first-planned of the four lines of the Montreal Metro, in Montreal, Canada. It formed part of the initial network, and was extended between 1980 and 1986...
and lines of the
Montreal MetroThe Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
, including
Place-Saint-HenriPlace-Saint-Henri is a station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in the Saint-Henri area of the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in Montreal, Quebec, Canada ....
,
Lionel-GroulxLionel-Groulx is a station of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in the Saint-Henri area of the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is a transfer station between the Green Line and Orange Line.The station...
,
CharlevoixCharlevoix is a station on the Green Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in the district of Pointe-Saint-Charles in the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.The station opened on September 3, 1978, as part...
,
AngrignonAngrignon is a station on the Green Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
,
Georges-VanierGeorges-Vanier is a station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in the Little Burgundy area of the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
,
MonkMonk is a station on the Green Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . The station is located in the Ville-Émard district of the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
, and
JolicoeurJolicoeur is a station on the Green Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in the Côte-Saint-Paul district in the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
stations.
The borough is traversed and partly delimited by
Quebec AutoroutesThe Autoroute system is a network of expressways in the province of Quebec, Canada, operating under the same principle of controlled access as the Interstate Highway System in the United States or the 400-Series Highways in neighbouring Ontario. The Autoroutes are the backbone of Quebec's highway...
15Autoroute 15 is a highway in western Quebec, Canada...
(Décarie Aut.) and
20Autoroute 20 is a major Quebec Autoroute, following the Saint Lawrence River through one of the more densely-populated parts of Canada, and is part of the Trans-Canada Highway. At , it is the longest Autoroute in Quebec...
(Ville-Marie Aut.);
Autoroute 10Autoroute 10 is an Autoroute in southern Quebec, Canada...
(Bonaventure Aut.) also passes through it. The Montreal ends of the
Champlain BridgeThe Champlain Bridge is a steel truss cantilever bridge with approach viaducts constructed of prestressed concrete beams supporting a prestressed concrete deck paved with asphalt...
and Victoria Bridge lie in Le Sud-Ouest, as does the Turcot Interchange (autoroutes 15 and 20), Quebec's largest highway interchange. The
CNThe Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
rail lines exiting Central Station pass through the borough.
Major thoroughfares include Notre Dame St., Laurendeau St., St. Patrick St., La Vérendrye Blvd., De l'Église St., Monk Blvd., Centre St., Charlevoix St., Wellington St., Atwater Ave., and Guy St.
The Lachine Canal is crossed by the Boul. Monk, Rue Charlevoix, Rue des Seigneurs, and Rue Wellington bridges and by the Saint Rémi and Atwater tunnels.
Bicycle paths run along the Lachine Canal, through the Parc du Premier-Chemin-de-Fer and Rue Lionel-Groulx, and through Pointe-Saint-Charles. Pedestrian- and cyclist-only bridges across the canal are located at the Saint-Gabriel Locks, the Atwater Market, Gédéon de Catalogne Park, and Rue de l'Église.
Culture and recreation
The two largest green spaces in the borough are the
Lachine CanalThe Lachine Canal is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine, Lasalle and Sud-Ouest.The canal gets its name from the French word for China...
and its recreational facilities (including the Lachine Canal National Historic Site of Canada), and
Angrignon ParkAngrignon Park The park is named for Jean-Baptiste Angrignon a long time city councillor in Côte Saint-Paul.The park was inspired by the design of 19th century English gardens...
in
Ville-ÉmardVille-Émard is a neighbourhood located in the Sud-Ouest borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is the home of Angrignon Park.-Geography:This neighbourhood is bordered by the Aqueduct Canal, the borough of Verdun and the neighbourhood of Côte-Saint-Paul to the east, the borough of LaSalle to the...
. Other important parks include Ignace Bourget Park (Ville-Émard),
Sir George-Étienne Cartier SquareSir George-Étienne Cartier Square is an park in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located in the Saint-Henri neighbourhood of the borough of Le Sud-Ouest....
and Saint-Henri Park (Saint-Henri), Vinet Park and Oscar Peterson Park (Little Burgundy), and Saint-Gabriel Park, Marguerite Bourgeoys Park, and Le Ber Park (Pointe-Saint-Charles).
The borough boasts numerous historic buildings, such as the Maison Saint-Gabriel (built in 1698), the former Negro Community Centre, the Atwater Market,
Union United ChurchThe Union United Church of Montreal is the city of Montreal’s oldest Black congregation. It was founded in 1907 by several members of Montreal’s Black community who experienced racial conflict and were banned from entering all-White churches. Union was started with a treasury of just $1.83...
, the Atwater pumping station, the Saint-Henri fire hall, and the area's churches. In Saint-Henri, the Musée des ondes Emile-Berliner tells the story of the radio and phonograph industry.
The borough's community centres include the Centre Saint-Zotique, the Centre d'éducation populaire (CEDA), Tyndale-St. George's Community Centre, Maison Saint-Charles, and Centre Monseigneur-Pigeon. It is served by four libraries: Marie-Uguay, Saint-Henri, Georges-Vanier, and Saint-Charles. Sporting facilities include the Complexe récréatif Gadbois, one of the largest on the island, as well as the Piscine Émard, Piscine Saint-Henri, Centre sportif de la Petite-Bourgogne, and Piscine Saint-Charles.
Institutions
The territory of Le Sud-Ouest is served by the Centre de de santé et des services sociaux du Sud-Ouest–Verdun, which operates the
CLSCCLSCs in Quebec are free clinics which are run and maintained by the provincial government...
s Saint-Henri and Ville-Émard–Côte-Saint-Paul. The Clinique communautaire Pointe-Saint-Charles, though it inspired the CLSC system, continues to operate independently of it. The nearest hospitals are the Hôpital de Verdun and the Montreal General Hospital and Montreal Children's Hospital in Ville-Marie; the
McGill University Health CentreThe McGill University Health Centre is a network of teaching and community hospitals in Montreal, Quebec, Canada affiliated with McGill University....
superhospital is currently under construction immediately northwest of the borough.
The borough is home to the
École de technologie supérieureFounded in 1974, the École de technologie supérieure is part of the Université du Québec system. Specialized in applied teaching in engineering and technology transfer to companies, it teaches engineers and researchers who are recognized for their practical and innovative approach...
technical university.
Commerce
Major commercial streets include Boulevard Monk (Ville-Émard), Avenue de l'Église (Côte Saint-Paul), Rue du Centre (Pointe-Saint-Charles), and Rue Notre-Dame (Saint-Henri and Little Burgundy). Rue Notre-Dame in Little Burgundy is notable as a centre for antiques dealers.
One of the best known of Montreal's public markets, the Atwater Market, is located beside the Lachine Canal.
External links
- City of Montreal. Le Sud-Ouest (in French
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
)
- IMTL. Historical buildings and skyscrapers in Sud-Ouest borough
See also
- Boroughs of Montreal
- Districts of Montreal
This is the list of the neighbourhoods in the city of Montreal. They are sorted by the borough they are located in.-Ahuntsic-Cartierville:* Ahuntsic* Nouveau-Bordeaux* Cartierville* Île de la Visitation* Sault-au-Récollet-Anjou:...
- Griffintown
Griffintown is the popular name given to the former southwestern downtown part of Montreal, Quebec, which existed from the 1820s until the 1960s and was mainly populated by Irish immigrants and their descendants....
- Municipal reorganization in Quebec
The most recent episode of municipal reorganization in Quebec, Canada, was undertaken in 2002 by the Parti Québécois Government of Quebec, headed by Premier Lucien Bouchard and his successor Bernard Landry....