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Ville Marie, Montreal

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Country
  
Canada

Time zone
  
EST (UTC-5)

Population
  
84,013 (2011)

Province
  
Québec

Area code(s)
  
(514) and (438)

Region
  
Montréal

Area
  
16.5 km²

Mayor
  
Denis Coderre

Established
  
January 01, 2002

Ville-Marie, Montreal httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Provincial
  
Westmount–Saint-Louis Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne

Access Routes A-10 A-720
  
Route 134 Route 138 Route 335

Website
  
www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/villemarie

Electoral Districts Federal
  
Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs; Laurier—Sainte-Marie; Outremont

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.

Contents

Map of Ville-Marie, Montr%C3%A9al, QC, 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).

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.

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, the current borough council consists of the following councillors:

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:

  • Borough mayor: Benoit Labonté (Vision Montreal)
  • Sainte-Marie—Saint-Jacques: City Councillor: Sammy Forcillo (Union Montreal); Borough Councillor: Pierre Mainville (Projet Montréal)
  • Peter-McGill: City Councillor: Catherine Sévigny (Union Montreal); Borough Councillor: Karim Boulos (Independent)
  • 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:

  • Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs
  • Laurier—Sainte-Marie
  • Outremont
  • It is divided among the following provincial electoral districts:

  • Westmount–Saint-Louis
  • Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques
  • Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
  • Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne
  • Outremont (three small corners of Mount Royal Park to the borough's northeast)
  • 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.

    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.

    References

    Ville-Marie, Montreal Wikipedia