Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Encyclopedia
Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a borough
Montreal borough
The 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...
of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal 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...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec 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....
.
History
Montreal
Montreal 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...
against the demands of proprietors in Hochelaga. In response, they founded the village Maisonneuve and in only 15 years Maisonneuve became the 5th industrial slum of Canada. However, the area flourished. By 1918, however, the area was saddled with debt and aging factories and infrastructure. It was annexed to Montreal the same year.
Two years later, in 1920, many factories closed and moved east to Mercier. Mercier was an agglomeration of old villages: Beau-Rivage, Longue-Pointe
Longue-Pointe
Longue-Pointe was a Montreal neighbourhood now located in the borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. The neighborhood was permanently divided by the construction of the Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Tunnel...
and Tétreaultville. It was annexed to Montreal in 1910, before Maisonneuve. In 1960, the construction of the Autoroute 25
Quebec Autoroute 25
Autoroute 25 is an Autoroute in the Lanaudière region of Quebec. It is currently long....
saw the demolition of many residential buildings in Mercier and divided it into two districts: Mercier-Ouest and Mercier-Est. Factories would continue to shut down well into the 1980s, leaving the borough ridden with poverty and a high concentration of welfare, especially in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a district of Montreal, Quebec, situated on the eastern half of the island, generally to the south and south-west of the city's Olympic Stadium. A part of the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, its borders are roughly rue Moreau to the west, rue Sherbrooke to the...
. This has led to a population exodus, high crime rates and a general negative portrait of the area. It is, still today, often seen as the French ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
of Montreal.
Geography
Island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....
, it was part of the City of Montreal prior to the 2002 municipal mergers
Montreal Merger
As with other large cities like New York City and Toronto, the legal geographic boundaries of Montreal have been reorganized to incorporate adjacent communities which are integral to its social and economic life.-Merger and demerger:...
. It is composed of the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a district of Montreal, Quebec, situated on the eastern half of the island, generally to the south and south-west of the city's Olympic Stadium. A part of the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, its borders are roughly rue Moreau to the west, rue Sherbrooke to the...
, Mercier-Ouest and Mercier-Est areas. Each area has roughly the same population, but they differ in their commercial and social characteristics. The western region of the borough is composed of older districts while the Northern and Eastern regions have gone through a more recent urbanization. The borough is mainly composed of working class Québécois
French-speaking Quebecer
French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....
with a notable presence of Vietnamese immigrants in western regions and Italians as well as French immigrants to the North and East.
The largely oblong borough is bounded on the northwest by the borough of Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, on the north by Saint Leonard, on the northeast by Anjou, and on the east by Montréal-Est
Montréal-Est, Quebec
Montreal East , is a town in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the island of Montreal, formerly part of the borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles–Montréal-Est. Montreal-Est has consistently been the home to many large oil refineries since 1915.Montreal-Est was originally founded in 1910...
. To the south is the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The 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...
.
It has an area of 24,60 km² and the evolution of industry and transportation has profoundly transformed the borough, The presence of large industrial zones (especially in Mercier-Ouest), Montreal's port and the area's importance as a transportation axis has determined the organization of the territory's area and its urban character.
Demographics
There are 128,440 inhabitants: 46 085 in Hochelaga-MaisonneuveHochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a district of Montreal, Quebec, situated on the eastern half of the island, generally to the south and south-west of the city's Olympic Stadium. A part of the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, its borders are roughly rue Moreau to the west, rue Sherbrooke to the...
(36%), 41 011 in Mercier-Ouest (32%) and 41 344 in Mercier-Est (32%). ranking it amongst the five most populated boroughs in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal 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...
. The borough represents roughly 7.1% of Montreal's population.
For the first time in several decades the population in the borough stopped decreasing. Between 1996 and 2001 it grew roughly 2.3%. However this growth was mainly concentrated in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district (+8.2%) while Mercier-Est
Mercier-Est
Mercier-Est is a neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec.-Geography:Mercier-Est is an inner-city neighborhood located in the east end of the Island of Montreal. It is one of four districts in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve burough. It is more commonly referred to as 'Tétreaultville', although this...
(+0.6%) grew very little and Mercier-Ouest (-2.0%) actually continued decreasing. It is worth noting that the population in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve decreased 48% between 1961 and 1996, so this population growth truly represents a revitalization in the region.
The urbanization of the three sectors differ, namely because of the varying population densities. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a district of Montreal, Quebec, situated on the eastern half of the island, generally to the south and south-west of the city's Olympic Stadium. A part of the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, its borders are roughly rue Moreau to the west, rue Sherbrooke to the...
has a density of 8 274 inhabitants per square kilometer. Mercier-Est
Mercier-Est
Mercier-Est is a neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec.-Geography:Mercier-Est is an inner-city neighborhood located in the east end of the Island of Montreal. It is one of four districts in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve burough. It is more commonly referred to as 'Tétreaultville', although this...
has a lower density at 5 734 inhabitants per square kilometer. This density drops off quickly in Mercier-Ouest with 3 476 inhabitants mainly due to space being primarily industrial as opposed to huge residential zones in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a district of Montreal, Quebec, situated on the eastern half of the island, generally to the south and south-west of the city's Olympic Stadium. A part of the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, its borders are roughly rue Moreau to the west, rue Sherbrooke to the...
and Mercier-Est
Mercier-Est
Mercier-Est is a neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec.-Geography:Mercier-Est is an inner-city neighborhood located in the east end of the Island of Montreal. It is one of four districts in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve burough. It is more commonly referred to as 'Tétreaultville', although this...
.
92.9% of the population speaks French at home, the highest of any region in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal 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...
, followed by English at 2.4% and Italian at 0.8%. The immigrant population represents 12.1% of the population, significantly under the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal 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...
average (27.6%). Most of the immigrants are concentrated in Mercier-Ouest
Mercier-Ouest
Mercier-Ouest is a neighbourhood in Montreal, in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.-Geography:Mercier-Ouest an inner-city neighborhood located in the east end of the Island of Montreal. It is one of three districts in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough...
(17%) while there are significantly lower levels of immigrants living in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a district of Montreal, Quebec, situated on the eastern half of the island, generally to the south and south-west of the city's Olympic Stadium. A part of the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, its borders are roughly rue Moreau to the west, rue Sherbrooke to the...
(9%) or Mercier-Est
Mercier-Est
Mercier-Est is a neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec.-Geography:Mercier-Est is an inner-city neighborhood located in the east end of the Island of Montreal. It is one of four districts in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve burough. It is more commonly referred to as 'Tétreaultville', although this...
(10%). Many Italians are concentrated in the Louis-Rield district in the north end of Mercier-Ouest which is a natural extension of St. Leonard. However, Italians have also formed communal ghettos in Mercier-Est
Mercier-Est
Mercier-Est is a neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec.-Geography:Mercier-Est is an inner-city neighborhood located in the east end of the Island of Montreal. It is one of four districts in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve burough. It is more commonly referred to as 'Tétreaultville', although this...
nestled around Sherbrooke street, especially near the San Domenico Savio Church. Between 1996 and 2001 there's been an increase in immigration to the area. There are currently 15 135 landed immigrants in the borough, mainly from Italy, Vietnam, Algeria and France.
The sectors also differ when it comes to age demographics. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a district of Montreal, Quebec, situated on the eastern half of the island, generally to the south and south-west of the city's Olympic Stadium. A part of the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, its borders are roughly rue Moreau to the west, rue Sherbrooke to the...
has the youngest age demographics, with a higher percentages of people aged 20 – 39 years. But the age distinction between districts is really noticeable with young adults aged 20–29 years. In recent years, there has been an arrival of young adults to the district, searching for cheap rent close to downtown. This has brought up disputes over the negative and positive effects of gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
. However, for now, there is evidence that the new population is simply in co-habitation with previous tenants of the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a district of Montreal, Quebec, situated on the eastern half of the island, generally to the south and south-west of the city's Olympic Stadium. A part of the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, its borders are roughly rue Moreau to the west, rue Sherbrooke to the...
district, taking up residents in renewed abandoned infrastructure. Condo projects, however, may lead to intense gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
in the coming decade, although some claim these projects would have less impact than it did in the Plateau-Mont-Royal and Little Burgundy
Little Burgundy
Little Burgundy is the informal name of a neighbourhood in the Sud-Ouest borough of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Geography:...
areas. Problems of gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
seem to take little notice in Mercier-Ouest or Mercier-Est
Mercier-Est
Mercier-Est is a neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec.-Geography:Mercier-Est is an inner-city neighborhood located in the east end of the Island of Montreal. It is one of four districts in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve burough. It is more commonly referred to as 'Tétreaultville', although this...
whose populations tend to be aging. The oldest population in the borough is located north of Sherbrooke in the Mercier-Ouest sector.
Employment
The borough is often cast in a negative light, mainly due to its economic planning and high poverty rate. However, it is often neglected to mention that the borough, despite a descriptive accent on its poverty, has large industrial zones and is commercially dynamic. It is often considered 'up and coming' with new revitalization plans for its residential zones.According to 'Recensement des établissements et de l'emploi à Montréal (REEM 2000)' there's been an increase of 95% in professional and technical jobs in the borough. However, this can be attributed to gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
in the area, specifically in the Hochelaga district.
The average family income in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is $49,804, considerably below the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal 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...
average ($62 409). The average individual makes $23,479. Nearly 32.9% of the borough's population is considered low-income, and there are worrying patches of poverty scattered throughout the borough and heavily concentrated in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a district of Montreal, Quebec, situated on the eastern half of the island, generally to the south and south-west of the city's Olympic Stadium. A part of the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, its borders are roughly rue Moreau to the west, rue Sherbrooke to the...
district.
Borough council
As of the November 1, 2009 Montreal municipal electionMontreal municipal election, 2009
The 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 councillor Montreal City Council The 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... |
Réal Ménard Réal Ménard Réal Ménard is a Canadian politician, who was a Bloc Québécois member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1993 to 2009. He was the second Canadian Member of Parliament to come out as gay .Ménard is a political scientist with B.A. and M.A... |
Vision Montréal Vision Montreal 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:... |
|
| Hochelaga | City councillor | Laurent Blanchard | Vision Montréal Vision Montreal 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:... |
|
| Louis-Riel | City councillor | Lyn Thériault Lyn Thériault Lyn Thériault, formerly known as Lyn Faust, is a politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has served on the Montreal city council since 2001 as a member of the Vision Montreal party. Thériault was the borough mayor of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve from 2005 to 2009 and a member of the Montreal... |
Vision Montréal Vision Montreal 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:... |
|
| Maisonneuve–Longue-Pointe | City councillor | Louise Harel Louise Harel Louise Harel is a Québec politician. In 2005 she served as interim leader of the Parti Québécois following the resignation of Bernard Landry. She was also interim leader of the opposition in the National Assembly of Quebec. She represented the riding of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in the Montreal region... |
Vision Montréal Vision Montreal 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:... |
|
| Tétreaultville | City councillor | Gaëtan Primeau | Vision Montréal Vision Montreal 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:- HochelagaHochelaga (electoral district)Hochelaga is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1988 and since 2004...
- Honoré-MercierHonoré-Mercier (electoral district)Honoré-Mercier is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. Its population in 2006 was 106,196.-Geography:...
- La Pointe-de-l'ÎleLa Pointe-de-l'Île (electoral district)La Pointe-de-l'Île is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004. Its population in 2001 was 98,878....
It is divided among the following provincial electoral districts:
- Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
- Bourget
- Anjou
Features
The borough is bisected by Autoroute 25Quebec Autoroute 25
Autoroute 25 is an Autoroute in the Lanaudière region of Quebec. It is currently long....
and contains the Montreal entrance to the Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine Tunnel. It is served by the eastern end of the green line
Line 1 Green (Montreal Metro)
The 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...
of the Montreal metro
Montreal Metro
The Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
; the Honoré-Beaugrand
Honoré-Beaugrand (Montreal Metro)
Honoré-Beaugrand is a station, the eastern terminus of the Green Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system operated by the Société de transport de Montréal...
and Radisson
Radisson (Montreal Metro)
Radisson is a station on the Green Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is in the district of Saint-Jean-de-Dieu in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The station opened on June 6, 1976, as part...
stations are connected to important bus termini.
Attractions in the area include the Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
, Saputo Stadium
Saputo Stadium
Saputo Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada which opened on May 21, 2008, and is the current home of the Montreal Impact. The stadium is built on the former practice track and field site on the grounds of the 1976 Summer Olympics, while the stadium's west side has a...
and Montreal Biodome
Montreal Biodome
The Montreal Biodome is a facility located in Montreal that allows visitors to walk through replicas of four ecosystems found in the Americas. The building was originally constructed for the 1976 Olympic Games as a velodrome. It hosted both track cycling and judo events...
, the Château Dufresne
Chateau Dufresne
The former residence of Marius Dufresne and Oscar Dufresne, the Château Dufresne was originally divided into two separate households, one for each brother...
, Collège de Maisonneuve
Collège de Maisonneuve
Collège de Maisonneuve is a francophone Cégep pre-university and technical college located at 3800 Sherbrooke Street East in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Partnerships:...
, the Marché Maisonneuve, the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier, the Hôpital Louis-H.-La Fontaine, and the Place Versailles shopping centre.
See also
- Boroughs of Montreal
- Districts of MontrealDistricts of MontrealThis 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:...
- Municipal reorganization in QuebecMunicipal reorganization in QuebecThe 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....
External links
- Borough website (in FrenchFrench languageFrench 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...
) - Historical buildings and picture of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve on IMTL.org