Ville-Marie, Montreal

Ville-Marie
Borough of Montreal

A view of McGill College Avenue in December.

Logo

Location of Ville-Marie on the Island of Montreal.
(Grey areas indicate demerged municipalities).
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Montréal
Established January 01, 2002
Electoral Districts
Federal

Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs
Laurier—Sainte-Marie
Outremont
Provincial Westmount–Saint-Louis
Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne
Government[1][2][3]
  Type Borough
  Mayor Denis Coderre
  Federal MP(s) Marc Miller (LIB)
Hélène Laverdière (NDP)
Thomas Mulcair (NDP)
  Quebec MNA(s) Jacques Chagnon (PLQ)
Manon Massé (QS)
Carole Poirier (PQ)
Marguerite Blais (PLQ)
Area[4]
  Total 16.5 km2 (6.4 sq mi)
Population (2011)[4]
  Total 84,013
  Density 5,085.5/km2 (13,171/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s) (514) and (438)
Access Routes[5]
A-10
A-720

Route 134
Route 138
Route 335
Website www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/villemarie

Ville-Marie is the name of a borough (arrondissement) in the centre of the city of Montreal, Quebec. The borough is named after Fort Ville-Marie, the French settlement that would later become Montreal (now Old Montreal), which was located within the present-day borough. Old Montreal is a National Historic Site of Canada.

The borough comprises all of downtown Montreal, including the Quartier des spectacles; Old Montreal and the Old Port; the Centre-Sud area; most of Mount Royal Park as well as Saint Helen's Island and Île Notre-Dame.

In 2011, it had a population of 84,013 and an area of 16.5 square kilometres (6.4 sq mi).[4]

Geography

It is bordered by the city of Westmount (along Atwater Street) to the west and the boroughs of Le Sud-Ouest (along the Ville-Marie Autoroute, Guy and Notre-Dame streets, and the Bonaventure Autoroute) to the southwest, Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (along the CP rail lines) to the east, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal (along Sherbrooke, University streets, and Pine and Park avenues) to the northeast, and Outremont and Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (along the border of Mount Royal Park) to the north. It is bounded on the south by the Saint Lawrence River.

Government

Borough council

The borough council of Ville-Marie differs from other borough councils in two important respects. The office of borough mayor, rather than being elected by the borough's citizens, is held ex officio by the mayor of Montreal. Also, two of the members of the borough council are city councillors from other boroughs, chosen by the mayor. This governing structure is due to the unique status of Ville-Marie as the centre of Montreal.

As of November 6, 2016,[6] the current borough council consists of the following councillors:

District Position Name   Party
  Borough mayor
(as mayor of Montreal)
Denis Coderre   Équipe Coderre
Peter-McGill City councillor Steve Shanahan   Vrai changement
Saint-Jacques City councillor Richard Bergeron   Équipe Coderre
Sainte-Marie City councillor Valérie Plante   Projet Montréal
  Borough councillors
(appointed by the mayor
from Montreal City Council)
Jean-Marc Gibeau
(City councillor for Ovide-Clermont, Montréal-Nord)
  Équipe Coderre
Karine Boivin Roy
(City councillor for Louis-Riel, Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve)
  Équipe Coderre

Former council composition

Up until the 2009 municipal election, Ville-Marie's borough council consisted of a borough mayor, two city councillors, and two borough councillors, all of whom were elected by residents of the borough.

When the 2009 election was called, the borough council consisted of the following councillors:

The 2009 election saw the coming into force of Bill 22 (2008), An Act to amend various legislative provisions concerning Montréal. As a result, the borough council now consists of the mayor of Montreal; three elected city councillors representing the districts of Peter-McGill, Sainte-Marie, and Saint-Jacques; and two city councillors representing other districts in Montreal, chosen by the mayor.

Federal and provincial

The borough is divided among the following federal ridings:

It is divided among the following provincial electoral districts:

Demographics

Historical populations
YearPop.±%
1966110,988    
197193,735−15.5%
197677,409−17.4%
198170,669−8.7%
198669,159−2.1%
199168,894−0.4%
199671,788+4.2%
200174,832+4.2%
200678,876+5.4%
201184,013+6.5%
[7]
Home language (2011)
Language Population Percentage (%)
French 42,350 54%
English 20,735 27%
Other languages 14,865 19%

[8]

Neighbourhoods

Ville-Marie includes the city's downtown, the historical district of Old Montreal, Le Quartier Chinois, the Gay Village, the Latin Quarter, the recently gentrified Quartier international and Cité Multimédia as well as the Quartier des Spectacles which is currently under development. Other neighbourhoods of interest in the borough include the affluent Golden Square Mile and Îlot-Trafalgar-Gleneagles at the foot of Mount Royal and the Shaughnessy Village/Quartier Concordia area home to thousands of students at Concordia University. The borough also comprises most of Mount Royal Park, Cité du Havre, Saint Helen's Island, and Île Notre-Dame.

Transportation

Montreal's interurban rail and bus terminals, and its two commuter rail terminals (Central Station, Lucien-L'Allier and the Downtown Terminus) are in the borough. It is served by the Orange, Green, and Yellow Lines of the Montreal Metro. The Metro's central station, Berri-UQAM (which is a terminus of the Yellow Line), and the Central Bus Station, are also located in Ville-Marie.

Two autoroutes serve the area: Autoroute Bonaventure and the partly underground Autoroute Ville-Marie. Two bridges — the Victoria Bridge and Jacques-Cartier Bridge — provide access to the South Shore, while the Pont de la Concorde provides access to Saint Helen's Island and Notre Dame Island (Parc Jean-Drapeau). The Jacques-Cartier Bridge also provides access to Saint Helen's Island and Notre Dame Island.

Attractions

Many of Montreal's most famous attractions are situated in Ville-Marie. Most of its office towers, including 1000 de La Gauchetière, 1250 René-Lévesque, the Tour de la Bourse, Place Ville-Marie, the Sun Life Building, the Maison Radio-Canada, and many others are located here.

Three of Montreal's four universities McGill, Concordia, and UQAM — are located in Ville-Marie, as are three of its four basilicas Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, Notre-Dame Basilica, and St. Patrick's Basilica. The Grande Bibliothèque du Québec is a recent addition, and the CHUM megahospital is planned for the borough.

Major parks and recreation areas include Mount Royal and its park, Parc Jean-Drapeau (the site of Expo 67), Dorchester Square and Place du Canada, Musée Grévin Montreal and the Old Port.

Economy

As Ville-Marie contains Montreal's central business district, numerous companies are headquartered or have major regional offices in the borough, including Bombardier Aerospace.[9]

Education

The Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM) operates French-language public schools.

The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) operates English-language schools.

The Montreal Public Libraries Network operates the Frontenac and Père-Ambroise libraries.

Climate

See also

References

Coordinates: 45°30′31″N 73°33′46″W / 45.508556°N 73.562846°W / 45.508556; -73.562846

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