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Le Sud-Ouest neighbourhoods · Ville-Émard & Côte-Saint-Paul

Ville-Émard & Côte-Saint-Paul

Two canals, a massive park, three metro stations, and red brick plexes that are still affordable, the corner of Le Sud-Ouest that insiders keep to themselves. My top 10, neighbour's version, not brochure version.

Let's talk about this neighbourhood

Developed starting in 1899 by promoter Ulric Émard, these two twin neighbourhoods have kept what a lot of Montreal has lost: a real commercial street, neighbours who know each other, and water and greenery on every side. It's also the neighbourhood that gave hockey Mario Lemieux, and Quebec literature the poet Marie Uguay.

I put this top 10 together for a simple reason: when you buy or sell, you're not just shopping for a property, you're shopping for a neighbourhood life. Each point comes with a way in to start a conversation. Use it.

Maxime Laforest, real estate broker · Équipe Loiselle, RE/MAX Dynamique

The neighbourhood's top 10

What makes the heart of Ville-Émard and Côte-Saint-Paul beat.

Ten reasons buyers fall for this neighbourhood, and why the ones who move here never leave.

01 A typical residential street in Ville-Émard
The legend

The neighbourhood of Mario Lemieux

Le Magnifique grew up on rue Jogues, in a working class family from the neighbourhood, and played his minor hockey with the Ville-Émard Hurricanes, at the nearby Gadbois arena. Marc Bergevin played on the same team, not bad for a back alley lineup.

Ask me about it, which streets in the neighbourhood have the same recipe as the one that raised Lemieux: families, back alleys, an arena within walking distance.
02 Monk Boulevard, Ville-Émard's commercial artery
Neighbourhood life

Monk Boulevard

More than 150 businesses along one of Montreal's oldest merchants' association streets (1981), with a striking new generation: about 80% of the businesses opened in the last five years are run by women entrepreneurs. As a bonus, the Bain Émard (1914), saved by 6,000 resident signatures.

Ask me about it, why a lively commercial street is worth gold at resale, and what Monk has in store for the coming years.
03 Théâtre Paradoxe, a former church on Monk Boulevard
Culture

Théâtre Paradoxe

A 1914 church that became, in 2014, a performance venue unlike any other: Groupe Paradoxe trains young people in reintegration for stage careers there. Seeing a show under the vaulted ceiling is an experience, and a neighbourhood point of pride.

Ask me about it, what other surprises are hiding along Monk. The boulevard is best rediscovered on foot.
04 Aerial view of the Aqueduct Canal
Waterfront

The Aqueduct Canal and De La Vérendrye park

Dug in 1853, it still supplies about 40% of Montreal's drinking water, and its freshly redeveloped linear park runs along the whole neighbourhood. With the Lachine Canal on the other side, you literally live between two bodies of water.

Ask me about it, why I say it's the best kept secret among Montreal cyclists.
05 Angrignon park and its lake
Nature

Angrignon Park

97 hectares, a 1.1 kilometre lake, cross country skiing and skating in winter, picnics in summer, and its own metro terminus. Le Sud-Ouest's great green luxury, right at Ville-Émard's doorstep.

Ask me about it, which streets back onto the park without the "park premium." There are some.
06 The Côte-Saint-Paul locks on the Lachine Canal
Heritage

The Côte-Saint-Paul locks

Lock No. 4 on the Lachine Canal and its industrial remnants form one of the most picturesque corners of the national historic site, along a bike path maintained year round and ranked among the most beautiful in the world for a city.

Ask me about it, what time of day the locks are most photogenic. The locals know.
07 Monk metro station
The safe bet

Red brick plexes and three metro stations

Duplexes and triplexes from the 1910s through the 1940s, postwar cottages, and prices still noticeably softer than the rest of Le Sud-Ouest, with Monk, Jolicoeur, and Angrignon on the Green Line since 1978. Downtown in under twenty minutes, without downtown prices.

Ask me about it, why I often say this is where tomorrow's Sud-Ouest is being decided. The numbers speak for themselves.
08 Period portrait of Joseph-Ulric Émard, founder of Ville-Émard
History

Mr. Émard, the man behind the name

In 1899, lawyer and businessman Joseph-Ulric Émard bought 77 and a half arpents of land in Côte-Saint-Paul, founded a real estate company with his associate Frederick Debartzch Monk, and had the future neighbourhood's streets laid out. As mayor, he steered Ville-Émard's annexation to Montreal in 1910, along with the neighbouring town of Saint-Paul. Monk Boulevard and Émard Avenue keep both names very much alive.

Ask me about it, ask me why the neighbourhood kept that period street grid and what it means for lot depths today. It makes a great story during a visit.
09 The brick facade of Bain Émard on rue Laurendeau
Sports and leisure

Bain Émard, a hundred years old and free

Opened in 1914 on rue Laurendeau to plans by architect Théodore Daoust, Bain Émard dates from a time when many homes had no hot water. More than a century later, its indoor pool is still running, free and open year-round. Swimming inside a heritage building is a small pleasure that belongs to this neighbourhood.

Ask me about it, ask me which free municipal services surround each address. It's part of the math when you're torn between two corners of Le Sud-Ouest.
10 The Marie-Uguay library and maison de la culture on Monk Boulevard
The poet

Marie Uguay, the neighbourhood's memory

Poet Marie Uguay was born in Ville-Émard in 1955, and her name still lives at 6052 Monk Boulevard: both the library and the maison de la culture carry it. The maison de la culture, opened in 1982, programs shows and exhibitions for free or close to it, and the library keeps a collection devoted to Quebec poetry. A true neighbourhood cultural hub.

Ask me about it, ask me what's happening around Monk for culture and families. The neighbourhood offers a lot more than people think, and it weighs on long-term value.
Let's talk

Thinking about buying or selling in Ville-Émard or Côte-Saint-Paul? Let's start with a conversation.

A free evaluation of your property, a picture of the local market, or simply answers to your questions. No strings attached, and a straight answer.

Start my real estate project

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