Ville-Marie, Montreal
Ville-Marie is the name of a borough in the centre of Montreal, Quebec. The borough is named after Fort Ville-Marie, the French settlement that would later become 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 2016, it had a population of 89,170 and an area of.
Geography
It is bordered by the city of Westmount to the west and the boroughs of Le Sud-Ouest to the southwest, Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve to the east, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal to the northeast, and Outremont and Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce 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.Following the 2017 Montreal municipal election, the Ville-Marie borough council contains the following members:
| District | Position | Name | Party | |
| — | Borough mayor ' | Valérie Plante | Projet Montréal | |
| Peter-McGill | City councillor | Cathy Wong | Projet Montréal | |
| Saint-Jacques | City councillor | Robert Beaudry | Projet Montréal | |
| Sainte-Marie | City councillor | Sophie Mauzerolle | Projet Montréal | |
| — | Borough councillors ' | Anne-Marie Sigouin | Projet Montréal | |
| — | Borough councillors | Richard Ryan | Projet Montréal |
Rather than a dedicated borough hall, the borough's offices and council chambers are located in the Place Dupuis office tower at 800 De Maisonneuve Boulevard East.
Former council composition
Up until the 2009 municipal election, Ville-Marie's borough council had a structure more similar to other boroughs, consisting 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: Benoît Labonté
- Sainte-Marie—Saint-Jacques: City Councillor: Sammy Forcillo ; Borough Councillor: Pierre Mainville
- Peter-McGill: City Councillor: Catherine Sévigny ; Borough Councillor: Karim Boulos
Federal and provincial
The borough is divided among the following federal ridings:It is divided among the following provincial electoral districts:
- Westmount–Saint-Louis
- Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques
- Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
- Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne
- Outremont
Demographics
| Language | Population | Percentage |
| French | 41,815 | 47.7% |
| English | 13,205 | 15.1% |
| Chinese | 7,075 | 8.1% |
| Arabic | 5,525 | 6.3% |
| Spanish | 3,380 | 3.9% |
| Farsi | 2,090 | 2.4% |
| Bengali | 1,000 | 1.1% |
| Russian | 840 | 1.0% |
| Italian | 700 | 0.8% |
| Vietnamese | 685 | 0.8% |
| Portuguese | 680 | 0.8% |
| Chinese | 600 | 0.7% |
| Other languages | 6,455 | 7.4% |
| French and English | 1,080 | 1.2% |
| English and a non-official language | 1,065 | 1.2% |
| French and a non-official language | 970 | 1.1% |
| French, English and a non-official language | 430 | 0.5% |
| Total | 87,595 | 100% |
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 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, 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. 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. Cultural infrastructure includes Grande Bibliothèque du Québec, Place des Arts, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Quartier des spectacles, the Montreal Science Centre, Pointe-à-Callière Museum, Musée Grévin Montreal, and numerous other important venues.
Sports complexes include the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens; the Percival Molson Stadium, home of the Montreal Alouettes; and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Île Notre-Dame, site of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Hospitals include the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal megahospital, opened in 2017, as well as the Montreal General Hospital and Hôpital Notre-Dame.
Major parks and recreation areas include Mount Royal and its park, Parc Jean-Drapeau, Dorchester Square and Place du Canada, 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 operates French-language public schools.The English Montreal School Board operates English-language schools.
The Montreal Public Libraries Network operates the Frontenac and Père-Ambroise libraries.