Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec
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Dollard-des-Ormeaux (; commonly referred to as D.D.O. or simply Dollard) is a city and a predominantly English-speaking suburb of
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
in southwestern
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, Canada. It is the most populous suburb on the
Island of Montreal The Island of Montreal (, ) is an island in southwestern Quebec, Canada, which is the site of a number of municipalities, including most of the city of Montreal, and is the most populous island in Canada. It is the main island of the Hochelag ...
. The town was named after
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
Adam Dollard des Ormeaux Adam Dollard des Ormeaux (July 23, 1635 – May 21, 1660) is an iconic figure in the history of New France (modern day Quebec). Arriving in the colony in 1658, Dollard was appointed the position of garrison commander of the fort of Ville- ...
. The town was merged with the city of
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
in 2002, and became part of the borough of
Dollard-Des Ormeaux–Roxboro Dollard-Des Ormeaux–Roxboro () is a former borough in the West Island area of Montreal, Quebec. It was composed of the former municipalities of Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Roxboro, and was formed on January 1, 2002. On June 20, 2004, Dollard-Des ...
. When residents were later offered the option, they chose to leave the city of Montreal, and the town was reinstated as a separate entity in 2006.


Name

The
orthography An orthography is a set of convention (norm), conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, punctuation, Word#Word boundaries, word boundaries, capitalization, hyphenation, and Emphasis (typography), emphasis. Most national ...
of the city's name has been adjusted periodically. Originally written as Dollard-des-Ormeaux, it became Dollard des Ormeaux (no hyphens) in 1960, and reverted again to the hyphenated spelling in 1969. In 2001, the official
Commission de toponymie du Québec The Commission de toponymie du Québec (, ''Toponymy Commission of Québec'') is the Government of Québec's public body responsible for cataloging, preserving, making official and publicizing Québec's place names and their origins according to th ...
ruled that the correct
orthography An orthography is a set of convention (norm), conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, punctuation, Word#Word boundaries, word boundaries, capitalization, hyphenation, and Emphasis (typography), emphasis. Most national ...
of the city's name is Dollard-Des Ormeaux (one hyphen, one space, all title caps) due to the
patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, b ...
particle In the physical sciences, a particle (or corpuscle in older texts) is a small localized object which can be described by several physical or chemical properties, such as volume, density, or mass. They vary greatly in size or quantity, from s ...
. However, this was not widely accepted, and is rarely used in practice. In particular, , the city's own website did not use this way of writing the city's name. In 2022, the Commission officially reverted to the spelling Dollard-des-Ormeaux, which had been in use since 1924.


History


Early history

In 1714, the area was part of the Parish of St-Joachim de Pointe-Claire. It became part of the Parish of Ste-Geneviève when it detached from Pointe-Claire in 1845. On July 29, 1924, Dollard-des-Ormeaux detached from the Parish of Ste-Geneviève and became a separate municipality in response to a tax imposed by the Parish road improvements on Gouin Boulevard. Its first mayor was Hormidas Meloche. The town's name honours the French
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
Adam Dollard des Ormeaux Adam Dollard des Ormeaux (July 23, 1635 – May 21, 1660) is an iconic figure in the history of New France (modern day Quebec). Arriving in the colony in 1658, Dollard was appointed the position of garrison commander of the fort of Ville- ...
, who was killed by the
Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...
at
Long Sault Long Sault was a rapid in the St. Lawrence River upstream and west of Cornwall, Ontario. ''Sault'' is the archaic spelling of the French word ''saut'', meaning rapids. The Long Sault created a navigation barrier along the river for much of its ...
in 1660.


Later history

The City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux obtained a new charter and was incorporated as a city on February 4, 1960. Dollard-des-Ormeaux was originally a
bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
in the early 1960s. The population was barely a few hundred in 1960, and within 10 years, exceeded 15,000. One of its original main axes, Anselme-Lavigne Street in the Westpark neighbourhood, is named for a farmer who sold his land to the Belcourt Construction Company. Many of the streets in the Sunnydale neighbourhood, including "Sunshine" and "Hyman", are named for members in the prominent Zunenshine family who owned Belcourt. The community is a mixture of residential and commercial properties. Des Sources and St-Jean Boulevards are its main commercial arteries, and are represented by the two vertical lines in the city's official logo. The three circles in the logo, from left to right, respectively represent the St-Jean Sector, the Westpark Sector and the Sunnybrooke Sector. The three circles and two vertical lines in the logo represent the city's geography and artfully spell out "ddo". The Town Hall was located in a house on Des Sources Boulevard in the early 1960s, and was moved to an 1806 French-Canadian farmhouse in 1964. When Canada's centennial anniversary was due to occur, the town decided to create a "Centennial Park," featuring a man-made lake and hills. It was suggested to use this project for a reservoir for
stormwater Stormwater, also written storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed lan ...
drainage, as the city was faced with the need to expand surface drainage pipes. The project was announced September 8, 1966. However the project ran into problems and became a local scandal and a major drain on resources. It was finally completed in the 1970s, albeit overdue and overbudget. Dollard-des-Ormeaux was included in the
Montreal Urban Community The Montreal Urban Community (MUC) (, , CUM) was a regional government in Quebec, Canada, that covered all municipalities located on the Island of Montreal and the islands of L'Île-Dorval and Île Bizard from January 1970 (when it was created ...
when that government was created in 1970.


Recent years

On January 1, 2002, as part of the
2002–2006 municipal reorganization of Montreal Montreal was one of the cities in Quebec affected by the 2000–2006 municipal reorganization in Quebec. On January 1, 2002, all the municipalities on the island of Montreal were merged into the city of Montreal. However, following a change of ...
, it merged with the city of
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
and became part of the
Dollard-Des Ormeaux–Roxboro Dollard-Des Ormeaux–Roxboro () is a former borough in the West Island area of Montreal, Quebec. It was composed of the former municipalities of Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Roxboro, and was formed on January 1, 2002. On June 20, 2004, Dollard-Des ...
borough. After a change of government and a 2004 demerger referendum, Dollard-des-Ormeaux was reconstituted as an independent city on January 1, 2006. It is now the Montreal Island's most populous city outside Montreal. Albeit not served by the
Montreal Metro The Montreal Metro (, ) 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, 1966, during the tenure ...
, the city will be served by the
Réseau express métropolitain The Réseau express métropolitain (REM; ) is a Medium-capacity rail system, light metro rapid transit system in Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As of June 2025, it consists of five stations spanning 16 km, connecting Downtown Montreal with th ...
light rail system with a station at the juncture of Highway 40 and Des Sources Boulevard.


Demographics

According to the
Office québécois de la langue française The (, OQLF; ) is an agency of the Quebec provincial government charged with ensuring legislative requirements with respect to the right to use French are respected. Established on 24 March 1961 by the Liberal government of Jean Lesage, the ...
, Dollard-des-Ormeaux has been officially recognized as a bilingual municipality since 2 Nov 2005. In the
2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...
conducted by
Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...
, Dollard-Des Ormeaux had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.


Parks and facilities

Dollard is known for its many well-attended green spaces, providing a park within one kilometre of each home. Notable parks include Centennial Park, Westminster Park, Frederick Wilson (Fredmir) Park, Edward Janiszewski Park (Baffin Park), and Terry Fox Park. Edward Janiszewski Park was named after the longest-reigning mayor of the city. Dollard-des-Ormeaux is home to the Dollard Civic Centre, which serves as city hall, the public library, and houses ice skating and swimming facilities.


Sports

Dollard is home to many juvenile sports teams, including hockey, soccer, baseball, swimming, and
ringette Ringette is a winter team sport played on an ice rink using ice hockey skates, straight sticks with drag-tips, and a blue, rubber, pneumatic ring designed for use on ice surfaces. While the sport was originally created exclusively for female c ...
. In 2013, the city received $20 000 from Kraft Le Hockey Continue program in recognition of the efforts of Lance Taylor Townend, an administrator and coach with the Dollard Hockey Association.


Administration

The city administration # Laurence Parent (District 1) # Errol Johnson (District 2) # Mickey Max Guttman (District 3) # Tanya Toledano (District 4) # Morris Vesely (District 5) # Valérie Assouline (District 6) # Ryan Brownstein (District 7) # Anastasia Assimakopoulos (District 8) Since the city's incorporation in 1960, there have been seven mayors. They are Alfred Labrosse (1960–1963), Frederick T. Wilson (1963–1968), Gerald Dephoure (1968–1978), Jean Cournoyer (1978–1982),
Gerry Weiner Gerald "Gerry" Weiner, (born June 26, 1933) is a Canadian politician. A pharmacist educated at McGill University and the Université de Montréal, Weiner entered local politics and eventually became mayor of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec in 1982 ...
(1982–1984), Edward Janiszewski (1984–2017) and Alex Bottausci (2017–present). Edward Janiszewski's 33 years as Mayor of DDO makes him the longest-serving Mayor in the city's history, and the second longest-serving Mayor in the history of Canada, behind
Hazel McCallion Hazel Mary Muriel McCallion (; February 14, 1921 – January 29, 2023) was a Canadian politician who served as the fifth mayor of Mississauga. First elected in November 1978, McCallion was mayor for 36 years until her retirement in 2014, makin ...
. He was first elected to the city council in 1978 before becoming mayor in 1984. During his tenure, he also oversaw the construction of Dollard-des-Ormeaux's famous library and many of the additions which were made to the civic centre. At the time of his defeat in 2017, the city was left with a surplus of $15 million.


Municipal Patrol

Established in 1980, a municipal patrol service was initially created to enhance public safety in the city and to enforce parking violations after the merger of police departments on the Island of Montreal. The service is responsible for public safety, municipal by-law enforcement, crime prevention, emergency measures, and community relations.


List of mayors

List of mayors: * Hormidas Meloche (1924–1925, 1927–1929) * Joseph Paiement (1925–1927, 1957–1960) * Daniel Chauret (1929–1933) * Jean-Baptiste Aumais (1933–1939) * Edmond Lavigne (1939–1942) * Romain Jauron (1942–1945) * Armand Labrosse (1945–1947) * Joseph Cousineau (1947–1949) * Anselme Lavigne (1949–1957) * Alfred Labrosse (1960–1963) * Frederick T. Wilson (1963–1968) * R. Gérard Dephoure (1968–1978) * Jean Cournoyer (1978–1982) * Gerald Weiner (1982–1984) * Edward Janisweski (1984–2002, 2006–2017) * Alex Bottausci (2017–present)


Education

The
Lester B. Pearson School Board The Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB, , CSLBP) is one of the largest school boards on the island of Montreal and one of the nine English school boards in the province of Quebec. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec. Established in 1998, ...
operates four Anglophone public schools in the area. Schools operated by the LBPSB include Springdale Elementary School, Sunshine Academy, Westpark Elementary School, and Wilder Penfield Elementary School. Beechwood Elementary and Kingsdale Academy in
Pierrefonds-Roxboro Pierrefonds-Roxboro () is a borough of the city of Montreal. It was created January 1, 2006, following the demerger of parts of the city. Geography It is composed of the former municipalities of Pierrefonds and Roxboro, spanning the northern ...
also serve portions of Dollard-des-Ormeaux. The '' Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys'' operates Francophone public schools, but were previously operated by the ''
Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys The Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Board (') was a French-language public school board on Montreal Island, Quebec, Canada. Its headquarters was in the Saint-Laurent borough of Montreal. Its education centre was in LaSalle, also in Montreal. It was ...
'' until June 15, 2020. The change was a result of a law passed by the Quebec government that changed the school board system from
denominational A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name and tradition, among other activities. The term refers to the various Christian denominations (for example, non-Chalcedonian, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, a ...
to
linguistic Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
. Francophone public schools in the area includes ''École primaire Dollard-Des Ormeaux'', the ''École primaire du Bois-de-Liesse'', the ''École primaire Saint-Luc'', and the ''École secondaire des Sources''. Private schools include
West Island College West Island College (WIC) is a system of three Canada, Canadian private schools: West Island College Montreal, founded in 1974, West Island College Calgary, founded in 1982, and Class Afloat–West Island College International, founded in 1984. ...
, Emmanuel Christian School, and Hebrew Foundation School.


Notable residents

* Goldie Hershon (1941–2020), activist and president of the
Canadian Jewish Congress The Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC; ; ; ) was, for more than ninety years, the main advocacy group for the Jewish community in Canada. Regarded by many as the "Parliament of Canadian Jewry," the Congress was at the forefront of the struggle for Hum ...
* Devon Levi (born 2001), ice hockey goaltender (
Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
,
Northeastern Huskies The Northeastern Huskies are the athletic teams representing Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. They compete in thirteen varsity team sports: men's and women's hockey (in Hockey East); men's baseball, men's and women's basketball ...
,
Canada men's national junior ice hockey team The Canadian men's national under-20 ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada internationally in under-20 competition. Their primary participation in this age group comes at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Juni ...
) *
Jaclyn Linetsky Jaclyn Michelle Linetsky (January 8, 1986 – September 8, 2003) was a Canadian actress who played the title character on ''Caillou'' and Megan O'Connor on '' 15/Love''. Early life Jaclyn Michelle Linetsky was born on January 8, 1986, at the ...
(1986–2003), actress *
Yaniv Perets Yaniv Perets (born March 4, 2000) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently with the Chicago Wolves in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract with the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He pre ...
(born 2000), ice hockey goaltender (
Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...
,
Quinnipiac Bobcats men's ice hockey The Quinnipiac Bobcats men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I college ice hockey program that represents Quinnipiac University. The Bobcats are a member of ECAC Hockey. They play at ...
) *
Adrien Plavsic Adrien Plavsic (born January 13, 1970) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Biography As a youth, Plavsic played in the 1982 and 1983 Quebec International Pee-Wee H ...
(born 1970), NHL ice hockey defenceman * P.J. Stock (born 1975), Canadian sports broadcaster and former professional ice hockey player *
Gerry Weiner Gerald "Gerry" Weiner, (born June 26, 1933) is a Canadian politician. A pharmacist educated at McGill University and the Université de Montréal, Weiner entered local politics and eventually became mayor of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec in 1982 ...
(born 1933), politician, Mayor of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Member of Parliament of Canada


See also

*
List of anglophone communities in Quebec This is a list of anglophone communities in the Canadian province of Quebec. Municipalities with a high percentage of English-speakers in Quebec are listed. The provincial average of Quebecers whose mother tongue is English is 7.6%, with a tot ...
* List of former boroughs of Montreal *
Montreal Merger Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the ninth-largest in North America. It was founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", and is now named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...
*
Municipal reorganization in Quebec A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...


References and notes


External links


Official site
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Quebec Jewish communities in Canada Jews and Judaism in Quebec Island of Montreal municipalities Bilingual cities and towns in Quebec