The Centre-Sud is a

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural are ...

located in the easternmost edge of the Ville-Marie

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

of the city of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. Home to Montreal's

Gay Village A gay village is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establish ...

and to the Sainte-Marie area, the Centre-Sud has long been seen as one of the city's most complex and troubled neighbourhoods. Having held a notorious reputation for poverty and

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

for decades, particularly on

Rue Ontario Ontario Street (officially in french: rue Ontario) is an east-west artery in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It crosses the boroughs of Ville-Marie and Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. In the latter borough, the street becomes a mix of residential ...

and Rue Dufresne, gentrification has changed the neighbourhood considerably in recent years.

History

Early History

During the era of

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spai ...

, when the city was fortified, the populated area east of the walls came to be known as ''Faubourg Québec'', a name that would live on as

Faubourg à m'lasse "Faubourg" () is an ancient French term historically equivalent to " fore-town" (now often termed suburb or ). The earliest form is , derived from Latin , 'out of', and Vulgar Latin (originally Germanic) , 'town' or 'fortress'. Traditionally, thi ...

.https://ocpm.qc.ca/sites/ocpm.qc.ca/files/pdf/P97/4.2_cartes_historiques_ville-marie_2009.pdf In 1782, the

Molson family The Molson family of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was founded by John Molson, who immigrated to Canada in 1782 from his home in Lincolnshire, England. They are considered to be one of Canada's most prominent business families with a combined net w ...

settled the area, purchasing a small

brasserie In France, Flanders, and the Francophone world, a brasserie () is a type of French restaurant with a relaxed setting, which serves single dishes and other meals. The word ''brasserie'' is also French for "brewery" and, by extension, "the brew ...

from

Irishman The Irish ( ga, Muintir na hÉireann or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been co ...

Thomas Loyd, which eventually developed into the brewery of the same name. Following the

Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (french: rébellion du Bas-Canada), commonly referred to as the Patriots' War () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now southe ...

, several patriots were hanged at the

Pied-du-Courant Prison The Pied-du-Courant Prison (french: Prison du Pied-du-Courant) is a prison museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada near the Saint Lawrence River and the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. Overview The original plan for a prison in Montreal was designed by ...

, a prison by the water. It ceased to be a prison in 1912, and the historic building was acquired by the SAQ in 1921, serving as its head office for a time. Construction of the

Jacques Cartier Bridge The Jacques Cartier Bridge (french: pont Jacques-Cartier) is a steel truss cantilever bridge crossing the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal Island, Montreal, Quebec, to the south shore at Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. The bridge crosses Saint Hel ...

began in 1925, and was opened to traffic on May 14, 1930, becoming a prominent landmark in the neighbourhood. A large section of the neighbourhood known as

was torn down in 1963 to build the

Maison Radio-Canada Maison Radio-Canada (English: ''CBC House'') is the broadcast headquarters, studios and master control for all French-language radio and television services of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (known in French as ''Société Radio-Canada''/S ...

Contemporary

An impoverished

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

neighbourhood, the Centre-Sud began attracting members of the gay and lesbian community in the 1980s, due in part to affordability, after the migration of many gay businesses from other parts of the city. The area between St-Hubert and De Lorimier developed into the

by the 1990s as a result. During the

Quebec Biker War The Quebec Biker War (french: Guerre des motards au Québec) was a turf war in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, lasting from 1994 to 2002, between the Quebec branch of the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine. The war left 162 people dead, including civili ...

, the

Rock Machine The Rock Machine Motorcycle Club (RMMC) or Rock Machine is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1986. It has twenty one Canadian chapters spread across seven provinces. It also has nine chapters in the ...

had their bunker in the Centre-Sud from 1992 to 1997, which contributed to a bad reputation for poverty, organized crime and

. In 2001, a section of the neighbourhood known as ''l'îlot Huron'', where the bunker and other illicit businesses thrived, was demolished to build a ramp to the Jacques Cartier Bridge and a large park, ''Parc des Faubourgs''.

In recent years the neighbourhood has experienced significant

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...

and social change.

Features

The

and the

are prominent in the skyline, as well as the

Sûreté du Québec The (SQ; , ) is the provincial police service for the Canadian province of Quebec. No official English name exists, but the agency's name is sometimes translated to 'Quebec Provincial Police' or QPP in English-language sources. The headquarters ...

's headquarters, known as the ''Prison Parthenais''. Notable features include the

Molson Brewery The Molson Brewery is a Canadian based brewery company based in Montreal which was established in 1786 by the Molson family. In 2005, Molson merged with the Adolph Coors Company to become Molson Coors. Molson Coors maintains some of its Can ...

, Hopital Notre-Dame, JTI MacDonald tobacco company and the historic

Pied-du-Courant prison The Pied-du-Courant Prison (french: Prison du Pied-du-Courant) is a prison museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada near the Saint Lawrence River and the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. Overview The original plan for a prison in Montreal was designed by ...

. The Cente-Sud is well known for its

street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...

and murals, notably of Québécois singers and actors, including

Paul Buissonneau Paul Georges Buissonneau, (born 24 December 1926 – 30 November 2014) was a leading francophone theatre director in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Born in Paris, France, Buissonneau started his career as a singer with the French chorus Les Compagnon ...

Raymond Lévesque Raymond Lévesque (October 7, 1928 – February 15, 2021) was a Canadian singer-songwriter and poet from Quebec. One of the pioneers of the ''chansonnier'' tradition in Quebec, he was best known for writing " Quand les hommes vivront d'amour", on ...

Marjo Marjo may refer to: * Marjo (singer), Canadian singer-songwriter, given name Marjolène * Marjo (name), Finnish and Dutch given name See also * Marijo Marijo is a South Slavic masculine given name, cognate to Mario is a character (arts), ...

Robert Gravel Robert Gravel (14 September 1944 – 12 August 1996) was an actor, dramatist, theatrical director and teacher. Career Gravel was born in Montreal. He was an influential figure in the modern history of theatre in Quebec. In the middle of the 1970s ...

Pauline Julien Pauline Julien, (May 23, 1928October 1, 1998), nicknamed "La Renarde", was a singer, songwriter, actress, Feminism, feminist activist and Quebec sovereigntism, Quebec sovereigntist. Born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Julien was the companion of ...

Plume Latraverse Plume Latraverse (born ''Michel Latraverse'' 11 May 1946) is a prolific singer, musician, songwriter and author from Quebec. At the end of the 1960s he formed a band named La Sainte Trinité with Pierrot le fou (Pierre Léger) and Pierre Landr ...

and

Yvon Deschamps Yvon Deschamps (born July 31, 1935, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Quebec author, actor, comedian and producer best known for his monologues. His social-commentary-tinged humour propelled him to prominence in Quebec popular culture in the 1970s and 1 ...

. Due to its poverty and proximity to

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

, a significant number of shelters,

supervised injection site Supervised injection sites (SIS) are medically supervised facilities designed to provide a hygienic environment in which people are able to consume illicit recreational drugs intravenously and prevent deaths due to drug overdoses. The legality ...

s and resources for the homeless are located in the neighbourhood. This includes

Dans la Rue Dans la Rue (formerly known as Le Bon Dieu Dans la Rue ) is a secular non-profit operating in English and French to meet the immediate needs of homeless and at-risk youth in the Centre-Sud area of Montreal. History Dans la Rue was founded by i ...

for

homeless youth Youth homelessness is the problem of homelessness of young people around the globe. Overview Youth homelessness is a significant social issue globally, both in developing countries and many developed countries. In developing countries, research ...

, and the

Old Brewery Mission The Old Brewery Mission is a resource for homeless men and women in Quebec, Canada. History The Old Brewery was founded in 1889 by two women, Mina Douglas and Eva Findlay, who started serving hot meals to Montrealers in need. In the early 20th c ...

's ''Patricia Mackenzie Pavillion'' for homeless women. Another shelter, ''Refuge des Jeunes'', for young men 18-25, is also in the Centre-Sud.

Public services

The city of Montreal operates the '' Bibliothèque Frontenac'' and '' Bibliothèque Père-Ambroise''

libraries A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

respectively. The city also operates several indoor pools and arenas including the ''Aréna Camillien-Houde'', ''Centre Jean-Claude-Malépart'' and ''Piscine Quintal''. The borough hall of Ville-Marie, is also located in the Centre-Sud, in the Place Dupuis shopping mall.

Geography

The neighbourhood is bordered by the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...

to the south,

Saint Hubert Street St. Hubert Street (officially in french: rue Saint-Hubert) is a north–south street that spans the island of Montreal. It is located east of Berri Street. It traverses the boroughs of Ville-Marie, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Rosemont–La Petite-P ...

to the west, the

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

rail line to the east and

Sherbrooke Street Sherbrooke Street (officially in french: rue Sherbrooke) is a major east–west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal. The street begins in the town of Montreal West and ends on the extreme tip of t ...

to the north.

The Plateau ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

is located to the north, Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve to the east and the

Quartier Latin The Latin Quarter of Paris (french: Quartier latin, ) is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros ...

to the west. Its main arteries running east to west are

, Boulevard De Maisonneuve, Rue Saint Catherine Est and Boulevard René Lévesque. Major streets and avenues running north to south include Saint-Hubert, Papineau, De Lorimier, D'Iberville and Frontenac.

Transportation

The neighbourhood is accessible by the following

Montreal Metro The Montreal Metro (french: Métro de Montréal) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, ...

stations, Frontenac, Papineau, Beaudry and Berri-UQAM (partly). The following STM bus routes pass through the Centre-Sud;

Education

The

Commission scolaire de Montréal The Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSM ''Montreal school board''), was a board from 1998 until 2020, as a result of a law passed by the Quebec government that changed the school board system from religious denomination to linguistic denominatio ...

(CSDM) operates French-language public schools.

Elementary

* ''École Marguerite-Bourgeoys'' * ''École Garneau'' * ''École Champlain'' * ''École Jean-Baptiste-Meilleur'' * ''École Saint-Anselme''

Secondary

* ''École Pierre-Dupuy''

Specialized

* ''École des métiers des Faubourgs-de-Montréal'' * ''École Éducation pour Adultes Centre Lartigue'' * ''École Éducation pour Adultes Centre Gédéon-Ouimet''

Politics

The neighbourhood is part of the

Montreal City Council The Montreal City Council (french: Conseil municipal de Montréal) is the governing body in the mayor–council government in the city of Montreal, Quebec. The head of the city government in Montreal is the mayor, who is first among equals in the ...

district of Sainte-Marie and the federal riding of

Laurier—Sainte-Marie Laurier—Sainte-Marie is a federal electoral district in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1988. Its population in 2016 was 111,835. Geography The district includes Côte Sai ...

. Provincially it’s part of

Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques is a provincial electoral district in the Montreal region of Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It comprises part of the borough of Ville-Marie and part of the borough of Le Plateau ...

, with a small eastern corner in the

Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Hochelaga-Maisonneuve () is a neighbourhood in Montreal, Canada, situated in the east end of the island, generally to the south of the city's Olympic Stadium and east of downtown. Historically a poor neighbourhood, it has experienced significant ...

riding, despite not being part of that neighbourhood.

Notable people

* Richard Beaulieu,

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

artist and writer *

Janette Bertrand Janette Bertrand (born March 25, 1925) is a Quebec journalist, actress, educator, and writer. Biography She was born in Montreal, grew up there, and studied journalism at the Université de Montréal. She began work at the ''Petit Journal'', wor ...

, journalist and actress *

Dino Bravo Adolfo Bresciano (; August 6, 1948 – March 10, 1993) was an Italian-Canadian professional wrestler and promoter, better known by the ring name Dino Bravo (). After training under Gino Brito, he started his career in Montreal in the 1970s, wo ...

(1948-1993), professional wrestler *

Daniel Breton Daniel Breton (born June 18, 1962) is an environmental activist and politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He was the member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Sainte-Marie—Saint-Jacques between 2012 and 2014. Early ...

, environment activist and former MNA for Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques *

André Desjardins André "Dédé" Desjardins (4 July 1930 – 27 April 2000) was a Canadian union official noted for his involvement with organized crime. Desjardins served as the president of the ''Conseil des métiers de la construction'' () and vice-president o ...

(1930-2000), corrupt trade unionist and

loanshark A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...

, notably involved with the mafia and later Mom Boucher *

Camillien Houde Camillien Houde (August 13, 1889 – September 11, 1958) was a Quebec politician, a Member of Parliament, and a four-time mayor of Montreal – one of the few Canadian politicians to have served at all three levels of government. Political c ...

(1889-1958), former

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Montreal *

Gilles Latulippe Gilles Latulippe CM CQ (31 August 1937 – 23 September 2014) was a Québécois actor, comedian and theatre director and manager. Latulippe was a central figure in the history of comic theatre in Quebec. In 1998, he was named Quebec's favourit ...

(1937-2014), comedian and actor * Léo Major (1921-2008), WW2 veteran and recipient of the

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranki ...

(DCM) *

Manon Massé Manon Massé (born 1963) is a Canadian politician in Quebec and one of the two current leaders for Québec solidaire since 2017. She has represented Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques in the National Assembly of Quebec since the 2014 general elect ...

, social activist, co-spokesperson of

Québec Solidaire Québec solidaire (QS; ) is a democratic socialist and sovereigntist political party in Quebec, Canada. The party and media outlets in Canada usually use the name "Québec solidaire" in both French and English, but the party's name is sometimes ...

, MNA for Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques

Popular Culture

The neighbourhood is the subject of Richard Beaulieu’s ''Chroniques du Centre-Sud'', a 2014 graphic novel portraying the neighbourhood in the 1990s. The novel ''Ces Spectres Agités'' by

Louis Hamelin Louis Hamelin (born June 9, 1959 in Saint-Séverin-de-Proulxville, Quebec)Louis Hamelin< ...

is also set in the Centre-Sud. In 2013, a group of collaborative authors and photographers, released ''Hôtel Jolicoeur''. A novel, in a scrapbook format, about a former

motel A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Entering dictionaries ...

and

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

located in the heart of the Centre-Sud, on the corner of Ontario and Papineau. Other novels set in the Centre-Sud include the autobiographies ''Pute de Rue'' (2003) by Roxanne Nadeau and ''L’Enfer d’une fille de rue'' (2020) by Isa-Belle St-Sauveur. The 2003 documentary, '' Sexe de rue'', focuses on prostitution in the neighbourhood. Atach Tatuq released a song about the Centre-Sud in 2005 entitled ''Australie'' in their final album Deluxxx. It's also featured in ''Rue Ontario'', a 2010 single by

Bernard Adamus Bernard Adamus (born December 16, 1977) is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Quebec, whose music draws on folk, blues, country and hip-hop influences.
{{Authority control Neighbourhoods in Montreal Ville-Marie, Montreal Centre-Sud LGBT culture in Montreal Red-light districts in Canada Skid rows Poverty in Canada Homelessness in Canada Urban decay in Canada Gentrification in Canada Hipster neighborhoods