St. Leonard, Quebec
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| Saint-Léonard, Quebec | |
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| — Borough of Montreal — | |
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| Coordinates: 45°35′09″N 73°35′46″W / 45.58583°N 73.59611°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Quebec |
| City | Montreal |
| Region | Montréal |
| Merge into Montreal |
January 01, 2002 |
| Electoral Districts Federal |
Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel |
| Provincial | Jeanne-Mance—Viger |
| Government [1][2][3] | |
| - Type | Borough |
| - Mayor | Michel Bissonnet |
| - Federal MP(s) | Massimo Pacetti (LIB) |
| - Quebec MNA(s) | Filomena Rotiroti (PLQ) |
| Area [4] | |
| - Land | 13.51 km2 (5.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)[4] | |
| - Total | 71,730 |
| - Density | 5,307.7/km2 (13,746.9/sq mi) |
| - Change (2001-06) | ▲3.1% |
| - Dwellings | 31,105 |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC−5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) |
| Area code(s) | Area code 514/438 |
| Access Routes[5] |   A-40 / TCH |
| Website | www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/st-leonard |
Saint Leonard is a borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formerly a separate city, it was amalgamated into the city of Montreal in 2002.
The former city was originally called St. Léonard de Port Maurice after Leonard of Port Maurice.
Contents |
[edit] Borough council
As of the November 1, 2009 Montreal municipal election, the current borough council consists of the following councillors:
| District | Position | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Borough mayor City councillor |
Michel Bissonnet | Union Montréal | |
| Saint-Léonard-Est | City councillor | Robert L. Zambito | Union Montréal | |
| Borough councillor | Lili-Anne Tremblay | Union Montréal | ||
| Saint-Léonard-Ouest | City councillor | Dominic Perri | Union Montréal | |
| Borough councillor | Mario Battista | Union Montréal |
[edit] Città Italiana
Città Italiana is the nickname (uncommonly used) given to the borough because of its large number of Italian-Canadian residents, evident on major streets such as the eastern portion of Jean-Talon Boulevard, locally referred to as Via Italia, and Jarry Street, where Italian-Canadian businesses are located.
Many services are available to residents in Italian, in addition to English language and French. The Leonardo Da Vinci Centre, for instance, offers service in all three languages. This cultural centre contains theatres, gyms, bocce playing areas and a café.
Saint Leonard was the site of the dispute that led to the creation of Quebec's first language legislation. Italian immigrants wished to send their children to English schools, while the local school board refused and tried to force them into French-language education. At the time, there was no legislation on schooling and language, and the dispute was settled with the creation of Bill 63, Bill 22 and finally Bill 101. Their effect is that only students with a parent who was schooled in English in Canada may attend an English school, otherwise education in French is mandatory.
The community newspaper, Progrès Saint-Léonard, is offered exclusively in French.
[edit] Demographics
| Language | Population | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| French | 23,440 | 32.8% |
| English | 6,265 | 8.8% |
| Both English and French | 335 | 0.5% |
| Other languages | 41,480 | 58% |
| Ethnic Origin | Population | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Italian | 27,590 | 39.69% |
| Canadian | 18,915 | 27.21% |
| French | 9,290 | 13.36% |
| Haitian | 3,815 | 5.5% |
| Lebanese | 2,005 | 2.88% |
| Irish | 1,360 | 1.96% |
| Spanish | 1,190 | 1.71% |
| Algerian | 1,155 | 1.66% |
| Arab | 1,155 | 1.66% |
| Portuguese | 1,070 | 1.54% |
Located in the east end of the Montreal, Saint-Leonard was traditionally Francophone. However, recent demographics information indicates that the city is now largely composed of numerous generations of 20th century Italian immigrants.
[edit] Sports and recreation
Aquatics
The Saint-Léonard Aquatic Complex (French: Complexe aquatique de Saint-Léonard) was built in 2006 and is home to three swimming pools: one recreational basin, one 25 meter deep pool and one acclimation basin that includes a turbo bath spa. There are also two saunas, one for women and one for men.
Skate parks
Skaters can skate safely in one of the two skate parks located in the city of Saint Leonard. Admission to these parks is free, and they are open to the public May through October.
Cycling paths
Saint Leonard has 10 KM of bike paths around the city, that connect various parks, pools and city structures.
Hockey
Saint Leonard has two hockey arenas. Aréna Martin Brodeur, located on 5300 boulevard Robert, and Aréna Roberto Luongo, located on 7755 Rue Colbert. These arenas host local Hockey games, and usually provide food to eat, locker rooms, sports stores, showers and public free-skating.
Saint Leonard also has many outdoor hockey rinks in the Winter. There are seven rinks set up before the winter, then they are iced when the temperature is appropriate. There was a delay of rink making in the year of 2007, as weather conditions were above the city's usual temperature, and unfortunately below freezing-point temperatures were rarely met.
Soccer
Soccer is a very popular sport for the youth in Saint Leonard. Nearly every public park in Saint Leonard has a soccer field open to the public. Thses fields are used for soccer games in the summer, but anyone is welcome to play when the fields are free.
Figure Skating
Both Saint Leonard arena's are often used by the figure skating community. Many Olympic and World Champions have trained at these arenas in many different disciplines such as singles, pairs, dance and synchronized skating.
Other activities
Saint Leonard also offers many other activities for everyone, young and old. It also makes an interesting place to shop. The city also has a small football stadium, Stade Hébert. For the retired citizens, there are bocce courts located at almost every public park.
Saint Leonard contains underground caves, located at Pie XII Park.
| Park | Basketball | Soccer | Bocce | Sledding | Fountain | Playground | Ice rink | Pavilion | Tennis | Swimming pool | Skate Park | Baseball | Shuffleboard | Pétanque | Cave | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coubertin Park | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | |||||||
| Pie XII Park | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | |||
| Ladauversiere Park | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||||||
| Wilfrid Bastien Park | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||||||
| Delorme Park | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
[edit] Mayors of the former city (1886-2001) and current borough (2002- ) of Saint-Leonard
- Louis Sicard (1886-1901)
- Gustave Pépin (1901-1903)
- Léon Léonard (1903-1905)
- Jean-Baptiste Jodoin (1905-1906)
- Joseph Léonard (1906-1907)
- Louis-O. Roy (1907-1910)
- Wilfrid Bastien (1910-1929)
- Pascal Gagnon (1929-1935)
- Philias Gagnon (1935-1939)
- Alphonse Pesant (1939-1957)
- Antonio Dagenais (1957-1962)
- Paul-Émile Petit (1962-1967)
- Léo Ouellet (1967-1974)
- Jean Di Zazzo (1974-1978)
- Michel Bissonnet (1978-1981, 2008- )
- Antonio Di Ciocco (1981-1984)
- Raymond Renaud (1984-1990)
- Frank Zampino (1990-2008)
[edit] References
- ^ Ministère des Affaires Municipales et Régions: Saint-Léonard
- ^ Parliament of Canada Federal Riding History: SAINT-LÉONARD--SAINT-MICHEL (Quebec)
- ^ Chief Electoral Officer of Québec - 40th General Election Riding Results: JEANNE-MANCE-VIGER
- ^ a b c 2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Saint-Léonard, Quebec
- ^ Official Transport Quebec Road Map
[edit] See also
- Boroughs of Montreal
- Districts of Montreal
- Municipal reorganization in Quebec
- Little Italy, Montreal
- Italian-Canadian
[edit] External links
- Borough website (French)
- Leonardo Da Vinci Center
- City of Montreal. Borrough of St. Leonard (French)
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 Montréal-Nord (Montreal) |
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| Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension (Montreal) |
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Anjou (Montreal) |
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 Saint-Léonard (Montreal)  |
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| Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie (Montreal) |
Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (Montreal) |
Coordinates: 45°35′09″N 73°35′46″W / 45.585848°N 73.596066°W
