Mercier () denotes the eastern portion of the

Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve () is a borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada located in the southeastern end of the island. History ''See Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve articles for a more detailed histories of respective areas'' Hochelaga w ...

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, 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 ...

of 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 ...

, Quebec. It consists of two neighbourhoods Mercier-Ouest (''Longue-Pointe'') and Mercier-Est (''Tétreaultville'').

History

Mercier was named after

Honoré Mercier Honoré Mercier (October 15, 1840 – October 30, 1894) was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician in Quebec. He was the ninth premier of Quebec from January 27, 1887, to December 21, 1891, as leader of the Parti National or Quebec Libera ...

(1840–1894),

Premier of Quebec The premier of Quebec ( (masculine) or eminine is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec, sworn in on October 18, 2018, following tha ...

from 1887 to 1891. Urbanization began in 1890, and the western portion, Longue-Pointe, become an industrial area by the early 20th century. This social transformation was induced by the arrival of large industries in Longue-Pointe and the building of a tramway on

Notre-Dame Street Notre-Dame Street (officially in ) is a historic east–west street located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It runs parallel to the Saint Lawrence River, from Lachine, Quebec, Lachine to the eastern tip of the Island of Montreal, island in Poi ...

. Originally an agglomeration of old villages, Longue-Pointe and Tétreaultville, they were annexed to Montreal in 1910. The neighbourhood's social and economic character was vastly transformed during the urban planning of the 1960s in Montreal in anticipation of

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

. In 1960, the construction of the Autoroute 25 saw the demolition of many residential buildings in Mercier and divided it into two districts, Mercier-Ouest and Mercier-Est. The extension of the metro and elimination of the tramway exacerbated industrial activity, and the remnants of the rural landscape of Longue-Pointe disappeared. Citizens battled against the urbanization plans of the 1960s in hopes of preserving their village community. The only success they had is limiting the

Port of Montreal The Port of Montreal (, ) ( ACI Canadian Port Code: 0395, UN/LOCODE: CA MTR) is a cruise and transshipment point. It is located on the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, Québec, Canada. The port operates as an international container port. It serv ...

's expansion along the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

in Mercier-Est. They preserved the promenade Bellerive south of

in Mercier-Est. "Agir Ensemble dans Mercier-Est" Plan de Revitalisation Urbaine Integree, Avril 2007 Unlike neighbouring

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 ...

, it suffered a lesser degree of economic decline and poverty related to the movement of capital and production to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Since 1987, Mercier-Est has become well known for social mobilization against government projects intended to intensify industrialization. Social organization still exist today. Solidarité Mercier-Est is an example of citizen's groups fighting against

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

, further urbanization and industrialization. Their activism is focused toward the RUI Integrated Urban Renewal and Contrecoeur projects currently underway in the district. Sanctuaire Marie-Reine-des-Coeurs fixed

Features

Mercier is home to

Promenade Bellerive Park Promenade Bellerive Park () is an urban park in the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located in between Notre Dame Street East and the Saint Lawrence River. It is large. Throughout its approximately 2k ...

, one of the east end's largest green spaces. Other notable features include the

Place Versailles Place Versailles is a shopping mall located at the corner of Sherbrooke Street, Sherbrooke Street East and Quebec Autoroute 25, Highway 25 in the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With its 225 stores, it is the ...

shopping mall, the

Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal is a psychiatric hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 7401 Hochelaga Street in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. It was established in 1873 and is affiliated wi ...

, the Sanctuaire Marie-Reine-des-Coeurs and the historic Chateau Dufresne. The

Canadian Armed Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

also have a reserve base,

CFB Montreal 2nd Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier, Detachment Montreal, formerly known as and commonly referred to as Canadian Forces Base Montreal (also CFB Montreal or Longue-Pointe) is a Canadian Forces base, Canadian Forces Base network located in ...

, in Mercier-Ouest.

Geography

Mercier is bordered roughly by the train tracks near Rue Viau to the west, Avenue Georges-V to the east, Rue Sherbrooke to the north, and the St-Lawrence River to the south.

is located to the west,

Montréal-Est Montreal East (, ) is an on-island suburb in southwestern Quebec, Canada, on the island of Montreal. Montreal-Est has been home to many large oil refineries since 1915. History The formation of Montréal-Est as a municipality was initiated in ...

to the east,

Rosemont Rosemont may refer to: People Rosemont is a surname. Notable people with this surname include: * David A. Rosemont, American television producer * Franklin Rosemont (1943–2009), American poet, artist, historian * Norman Rosemont (1924–2018), ...

to the northwest and Saint-Léonard and

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France *County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France ** Du ...

to the northeast. Autoroute 25 divides the neighbourhood into Mercier-Est and Mercier-Ouest.

Transportation

Mercier is served by the Assomption,

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

, Langelier,

Radisson Radisson Hotels is a multi-brand hotel chain with a worldwide presence. Its brands include several using the Radisson name, as well as other brands like Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts and Country Inn & Suites. In June 2022, Radisson Hotel Group ...

and Honoré-Beaugrand stations of the Green line. Assomption, Cadillac and Langelier stations are in Mercier-Ouest, whereas Radisson and Honoré-Beaugrand stations are in Mercier-Est. All of the stations mentioned above, except for Assomption, are located along Rue Sherbrooke Est. Autoroute 25 cuts through Mercier, leading to the Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Tunnel. Its main arteries running east to west are Rue Notre-Dame, Avenue Pierre De Coubertin, Rue Hochelaga and Rue Sherbrooke.

Politics

Mercier is in the federal ridings of Hochelaga, Honoré-Mercier and

La Pointe-de-l'Île La Pointe-de-l'Île () is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. Its population in 2001 was 98,878. The riding was created in 2003 from parts of Anjou—Rivière ...

. Provincially it's located in the ridings of Bourget (renamed to Camille-Laurin in 2022) and Anjou-Louis-Riel. At the Montreal city council it's represented in the municipal electoral districts of Maisonneuve–Longue-Pointe, Louis-Riel and Tétreaultville.

Education

The

Commission scolaire de Montréal In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

(CSDM) operates French-language public schools.

Elementary

* ''École Notre-Dame-des-Victoires'' * ''École Saint-Nom-de-Jésus'' * ''École Louis Dupire'' * ''École Saint-Fabien'' * ''École Saint-Donat'' * ''École Boucher-De La Bruère'' * ''École Sainte-Louise-de-Marillac'' * ''École Sainte-Claire'' * ''École Saint-François-d'Assise'' * ''École Saint-Justin'' * ''École La Vérendrye'' * ''École Irénée-Lussier'' * ''École Armand-Lavergne'' * ''École Philippe-Labarre''

High school

* ''École Sécondaire Marguerite-De Lajemmerais'' * ''École Secondaire Édouard-Montpetit'' * ''École Secondaire Académie Dunton'' * ''École Sécondaire Louise-Trichet''

Specialized

* ''École des Métiers de l'

aérospatiale Aérospatiale () was a major French state-owned aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and arms industry, defence corporation. It was founded in 1970 as () through the merger of three established state-owned companies: Sud Aviation, Nord Aviation ...

de Montréal'' * ''École de la Lancée'' (for boys with behavioural problems and in

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family mem ...

) The

English Montreal School Board The English Montreal School Board (official name: Commission scolaire English-Montréal English-Montréal School Board; CSEM or EMSB) is one of five public school boards and one of two English-language school boards on the island of Montreal in Q ...

(EMSB) operates English-language schools.

Elementary

* ''Edward Murphy Elementary School''

High school

(for high school, students must go to nearby '' Vincent Massey Collegiate'' in Rosemont)

References

External links

Official Borough Website (In French only)
(dead link as of 14 June 2016) {{Authority control Neighbourhoods in Montreal Former municipalities in Quebec Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve