Live in Mercier-Ouest

Do you know Mercier-Ouest? You may not, since it’s tucked away in the heart of the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (MHM) borough, just past the Olympic Stadium.

The west part of the east, in the heart of MHM

Don't be fooled by the word west, you are definitely in the east part of Montréal, with its wide streets and broad landscapes, divided into residential and industrial areas. To get your bearings, this working-class neighbourhood, formerly called Longue-Pointe, is bordered to the north by the boroughs of Rosemont–Petite-Patrie, Saint-Léonard and Anjou; by the port of Montréal to the south; by Boulevard de l’Assomption and Dickson to the west; and by Highway 25 to the east. Located less than 30 minutes by metro from downtown, this is a booming neighbourhood where you can still find affordable housing. Here, residents get involved in their community, as shown by numerous pilot projects, such as the pedestrianization of Carré Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, the revitalization of the Guybourg sector and the greening of several streets.

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The rich history of Longue-Pointe

A seigniorial fort erected on Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) lands, the village of Longue-Pointe has been inhabited since the beginning of the colonization of the island of Montréal, in the middle of the 17th century. Life at that time had a very military flavour for the settlers, who all had guns, gunpowder and bullets to defend their village. In 1775, Longue-Pointe was the scene of a famous battle during the American War of Independence, during which the American officer Ethan Allen tried to seize the city of Montréal before being captured by the English.

More than 120 years after the creation of the parish of Saint-François-d'Assise in 1724, the municipality of Longue-Pointe was officially incorporated in 1845. It ceded part of its territory to the municipality of Beaurivage in 1898, then to the municipality of Tétreaultville in 1907.

Inauguration of the new Saint-François-d'Assise church in 1966

Photo: Courtesy © Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve History Workshop

In 1910, Beaurivage, Longue-Pointe and Tétreaultville were annexed to Montréal, and the district was renamed Longue-Pointe. It was renamed Mercier five years later in honour of Honoré Mercier, former Premier of Québec.

Although it retained its rural character for a long time, Mercier developed rapidly between 1950 and 1970, with the construction of hundreds of homes, which transformed the neighbourhood into a suburb of Montréal.

Construction of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel, 1964

Photo: Courtesy © Archives of the Ministère des Transports du Québec

In 1964 came a great upheaval: the entire historic heart of Longue-Pointe was razed to make way for Highway 25 and the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel, inaugurated in 1967. This major new artery split the territory into two and drew the border between the Mercier-Ouest and Mercier-Est (aka Tétreaultville) neighbourhoods that we know today.

In the land of soldiers, duplexes and green laneways

If you stroll the streets of the neighbourhood from south to north, you will quickly notice that the urban landscape varies considerably as you go from the river up to rue Beaubien. The Guybourg industrial sector, which covers the entire southern area of Mercier-Ouest up to avenue Souligny, is mainly occupied by the Port of Montréal and the Canadian Armed Forces military base (Montréal Garrison), which employs more than 2,000 people. 

Photo: Courtesy © Port of Montréal

At the eastern and western ends of Guybourg, a few streets lined with duplexes and triplexes gently open the way to the residential area of Longue-Pointe, which is bordered to the north by rue Sherbrooke. There, you will see schools, parks, sports facilities, businesses and a lively neighbourhood life.

Continue on your way beyond rue Sherbrooke and you will find yourself in the Louis-Riel sector. This is the northern part of Mercier-Ouest, bordered on one end by the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital and on the other by the Saint-Françoise-d'Assise cemetery. There, a dozen parks create beautiful oases of greenery. You will also discover several community gardens and pretty green laneways, where children can play safely, just like in the good old days!

For the past ten years, the Mercier-Ouest district has been the subject of numerous projects aimed at improving the quality of life of citizens. These include: the development of a hub around boulevard de l’Assomption to increase the number of businesses and residents; the greening of Hochelaga and Sherbrooke streets to counter the effect of heat islands; the pedestrianization of Carré Notre-Dame-des-Victoires; the planting of 150 trees in Parc du Boisé-Jean-Milot; and development of the network of bicycle paths.

Carré Notre-Dame-des-Victoires | Corner Lacordaire and Pierre-de Coubertin, Montréal

Photo: Courtesy © La Pépinière

Who will your neighbours be?

There’s a good chance that your neighbour is a Francophone living alone or a single-parent family with young children. According to statistics presented in 2016 by the organization Mercier-Ouest quartier en santé, French is the mother tongue of 67.4% of the some 43,000 residents of the neighbourhood. The other languages spoken are Spanish (4.1%), English (4%), Italian (4%), Arabic (3.9%) and Portuguese (2.5%). However, Mercier-Ouest has diversified since the early 2000s, as it welcomes more and more immigrants (27.9% of the population in 2016), mainly in the Louis-Riel sector.

Many residents live alone (21.6%), especially seniors, who account for 20.2% of the population. There are also many single-parent households in the neighbourhood (34.8% of families) and there has been a 45% increase in the number of children aged between 0 and 5 between 2006 and 2016. This has considerably changed the profile of this neighbourhood, where the past trend was leaning toward an ageing population.

In 2011, the average income before taxes of the population of Mercier-Ouest was $33,705 per year, slightly less than the average income of the population of Montréal ($36,748).

Things to do in Mercier-Ouest

Inauguration of Place Versailles | 7275 Sherbrooke East, Montréal, Radisson metro

Photo: Courtesy © Place Versailles

The first thing you'll want to do when you arrive in the neighborhood is to go shopping at Place Versailles (Radisson metro). Named in honour of Joseph Versailles, former mayor of Montréal East, it was, at the time, the first fully covered shopping centre in Montréal. Inaugurated in 1963, it initially only housed a Miracle Mart and a Steinberg supermarket. Today, you will find more than 225 stores, including several big box stores such as Winners, Maxi, Fabricville and Bureau en gros.

Photo: Courtesy © Place Versailles

In addition to the variety of stores and boutiques, you can also discover two works by the Mexican sculptor Augusto Escobedo among the five fountains installed within the shopping centre. The first, located at the main entrance, was inspired by Raphael's Three Graces. The second, called Joie de vivre, was partially dismantled in the 1980s, preserving only the four children of the original sculpture.

Get some fresh air and relax 

You’ll find seven green laneways and a dozen parks in Mercier-Ouest, most of which are located in the north part of the area. Parc du Boisé-Jean-Milot, an expansive wooded green space that will soon include 4 km of hiking trails, is the ideal place to have a picnic, take a “nature bath” or enjoy your favourite outdoor activities. Birdwatchers, take note: the park also includes a marsh and a grassy field, where you can observe no less than 85 species of birds.

Boisé-Jean-Milot | 7084 rue Jean-Milot, Montréal

Photo: Courtesy © Comité de surveillance Louis-Riel

Tons of activities for the whole family are organized each year, including scientific activities. In winter, you can go snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

One of the best hills for sledding is found at Parc Félix-Leclerc. The park is also an excellent place for joggers, who can use the paved path encircling the park to run in comfort and safety. You can even bring your furry friends to the large dog park!

And if that's not enough, you are very close to Parc Maisonneuve and the Botanical Garden to the west, as well as Parc de la Promenade-Bellerive, just east of Highway 25.

Mercier-Ouest

Last update: August 2021