Montreal West is a small, close-knit community made up primarily of single-family dwellings.
Sherbrooke Street, a major artery spanning most of the Island of Montreal, has its western terminus here, beginning at a T-intersection with the town's main street, Westminster Avenue.
History
In 1897, the Town of Montreal West was created when it separated from the Village Municipality of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Ouest. It had 50 houses and a population of 350 persons at that time. Its town hall was built in 1910.[2][6]
In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Montreal West had a population of 5,115 living in 1,943 of its 2,031 total private dwellings, a change of 1.3% from its 2016 population of 5,050. With a land area of 1.37 km2 (0.53 sq mi), it had a population density of 3,733.6/km2 (9,669.9/sq mi) in 2021.[7]
Montreal West includes three medium-sized churches. One is United (Montreal West United Church [1]), one is Anglican (St. Philip's Church), and the final is Presbyterian (Montreal West Presbyterian Church). The Montreal West United Church also rents space to a Pentecostal service (Overcomers Assembly). St. Philip's Anglican Church rents space to the New Life Korean Presbyterian Church.
In terms of services, the town has its own Public Works Department, Public Security Department, a fire station, a community center (named after former town mayor John A. Simms), and a town hall.
Law enforcement
The town's various codes and ordinances are upheld by its Public Security Department, consisting of a lieutenant with a team of "By-Law Enforcement Constables" under his supervision.
The Montreal West Canada Day Parade making its way along Westminster Avenue
Canada Day is the largest community event of the year in Montreal West. Residents organize a parade route that mainly runs down the main street of Westminster and ends at Strathearn Park. Floats represented in the parade include organizations and clubs located in town, as well as some created personally by residents.
In some years, there have been water fights between sidelined residents and members of the parade (mainly the swimming pool float). Water fights during these years have seen water balloons and super soaker water guns, as well as the odd hose drawn from a house. Organizers have tried to minimize these activities in recent years so as not to detract from the parade itself, with varying success.
Following the parade, residents converge on Strathearn Park for a giant picnic/BBQ. Many children's games and activities go on at the park, as well as in the nearby Percival park. The final event of the evening is the fireworks, which take place around 10pm at Hodgson Field.
Fête Nationale du Québec
Annually on June 23 (the day before the actual holiday) there is a picnic at Davies Park, featuring music performed by Québécois musicians. In the late evening, a large bonfire is held in the centre of the park.
Garbage Bowl
The Garbage Bowl is a yearly tradition held every January 1 since 1950, where men from Montreal West separate into two teams, the Northern Combines in red longjohns and the Southern Bombers in green longjohns, and play a football game in the frigid weather with proceeds from donations, food, and commemorative pins going to charity.
The town of Montreal West has a large number of neighbourhood parks and public spaces. They include: Dave Reid Park, Davies Park, George Booth Park, Hodgson Park, John A. Simms Park, Kirkpatrick Park, Memorial Park, Percival Park, Ronald Park, Roy D. Locke Park, Rugby Park, Sheraton Park, Strathearn Park and Toe Blake Park (which was named after former Montreal Canadiens head coach Toe Blake). The town also has an indoor ice skating rink, clay tennis courts, and a public swimming pool.
The core business area of Montreal West is located on Westminster Avenue between Sherbrooke and Curzon. Until 2010, it consisted exclusively of small, non-franchised businesses, but in a controversial decision,[11] the Pharmaprix drugstore chain was allowed to open a large outlet on the corner of Westminster and Sherbrooke Street.
Montreal West is serviced by six Société de transport de Montréal bus lines. Each of these connects to a corresponding Montreal Metro (subway) station or to the Montréal-Ouest Train Station. Trains that run through this station connect passengers to downtown Montreal on one end, and three different routes heading away from the city at the other end.
The town has a public children's library located in Elizabeth Ballantyne school. A library for all age groups is located on Westminster Avenue.
Media
The Town of Montreal West prints a newspaper called The Informer on a monthly basis, excluding the summer. There are 9 editions of The Informer published per year. This newspaper is meant to foster a small-town atmosphere and to keep Montreal West citizens up to date on town information. The Informer was initially published under the name The Citizen's Viewspaper in 1973 by a group of Montreal West citizens before being changed to its current name. The Town of Montreal West has agreed to subsidize this paper to date.[12]
Notable people
Toe Blake, Montreal Maroons and Montreal Canadiens hockey player
