Saint-Léonard, Quebec

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Saint Leonard (in English usually pronounced /'li ʌ nʌrd/) is a former city on the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consists of the Borough of Saint Leonard. It was amalgamated into the city of Montreal in 2002.

The city, which was originally called St. Léonard de Port Maurice after Leonard of Port Maurice, lies in the east end of the Island of Montreal, and as such was traditionally francophone. However, it is also home to a large minority of Italian immigrants (mostly assimilated into English culture). Many services are offered in Italian in addition to English and French. The community newspaper, Progrès Saint-Léonard, is offered in both official languages.

Saint Leonard contains underground caves, located at Pie XII Park. These caves are a popular tourist attraction.

1 Sports and Recreation
2 Italian Community
3 Parks and Green Space
4 Links

[edit] Sports and Recreation

Skate Parks

Skaters can skate safely in one of the two skate parks located in the city of Saint Leonard. Admission to these parks is free, and they are open to the public May through October.

Cycling Paths

Saint Leonard has 10 KM of bike paths around the city, that connect various parks, pools and city structures.

Hockey

The city of Saint Leonard has two hockey arenas. Aréna Martin Brodeur, located on 5300 boulevard Robert, and Aréna Hébert, located on 7755 Rue Colbert. These arenas host many local hockey games, and they offer food services, locker rooms, sports stores, showers and public free-skating.

The city of Saint Leonard also has many outdoor hockey rinks in the Winter. There are seven rinks set up before the winter, then they are iced when the temperature is appropriate. There was a delay for the ice making in the year of 2007, because the weather was above normal, and below freezing-point temperatures were rarely met.

Soccer

Soccer is a very popular sport for the youth in Saint Leonard. Nearly every public park in Saint Leonard has a soccer field open to the public. Thses fields are used for soccer games in the summer, but anyone is welcome to play when the fields are free.

Other Activities

The city of Saint Leonard also offers many other acivities for everyone, young and old. For the young we have basketball, sledding, tennis, playgrounds and swimming pools, both outdoors and indoors. The city also has a small football stadium, Stade Hébert. For the retired citizens, there are bocce courts located at almost every public park.

[edit] Italian Community

Saint Leonard was the site of the dispute which led to the creation of Quebec's first language legislation. Italian immigrants wished to send their children to English schools, while the local school board refused and tried to force them into French-language education. At the time, there was no legislation on schooling and language, and the dispute was settled with the creation of a Bill legislating the status quo at the time, which was absolute freedom of choice between English and French schools.

The Leonardo Da Vinci Centre is located in Saint Leonard. Its services are offered in English, French and Italian. This cultural building contains theaters, gyms, bocce playing areas, and a café.

Because this area of town has such a prominent Italian Canadian community, it is nicknamed Città Italiana.