The territory

With its 21.4 km², Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce is one of the most densely populated areas of Montréal (7661 residents per square kilometre [1]). Located to the northwest of the downtown area, it is crossed by numerous traffic arteries, served by ten metro stations and situated close to major transportation infrastructure (highways and airports).

A large portion of Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce is within the Mount Royal Historic and Natural District, an area that has a protected status which aims to ensure harmonious development, to foster the enhancement and conservation of its distinctive elements. Mount Royal is a symbol of Montréal and is synonymous with quality of living for the more than 4 million people who visit it annually and for those who live on its slopes. Heritage establishments such as Saint Joseph's Oratory and cemeteries are situated there.

Most of the area is residential. There are prestigious heritage residences situated beside large and small apartment buildings. Barely 31% of the total dwellings are social housing. The housing stock is in worse shape than the Montréal average. If we exclude large sites such as the Montréal hippodrome, the borough has less than five hectares of vacant land available for residential construction. This land is mainly made up of parking lots and residual lots. The potential for residential growth can only be accomplished through replacing and rehabilitating existing and rundown buildings. Given the rarity of housing available and the fact that Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce is a popular area because of its proximity to downtown and Mount Royal, living in the borough can be very hard on the pocketbook.

The borough has an exceptional concentration of educational institutions, with the campuses of two Montréal universities, the Hautes Études Commerciales, the Polytechnique and well-known colleges. Most of these institutions were established in Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in the 20th century and today some of them are in the process of reorganization and even relocation of some of their buildings and faculties outside the borough. In 2006, in addition to the thousands of students living in the borough, 41,248 students from outside it were attending these educational institutions.

The concentration of health institutions in Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce is just as exceptional. In addition to well-established hospitals, those in expansion, the McGill University Health Centre, now under construction, the biotechnology research institute, the medical faculty and pharmacy school of Université de Montréal, there are almost 650 health and social services establishments in the borough. They employ thousands of professionals and workers and are used by hundreds of thousands of Montrealers. For example, in 2007-2008, the Sainte-Justine CHU alone employed 4133 employees, in addition to 436 doctors and 177 researchers.

The borough also has cultural establishments, including two cultural centres and the Segal Centre (formerly the Saidye Bronfman Centre). The building of the Benny sports and community complex, with its library and multifunctional hall, and the projected rehabilitation of the Empress Theatre will increase accessibility to culture in the coming years. However, the downtown, with its expanding cultural and entertainment offer, its closeness and ease of access by car or public transit, is significant competition for the cultural consumption of residents.

The major commercial arteries (Sherbrooke Street and Monkland and Somerled avenues in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, and Queen Mary and Côte-des-Neiges roads, and Victoria Avenue [2] in Côte-des-Neiges) are well frequented by the borough's population, which finds there a wide range of services. However, the rarity of available space and the numbers of big box stores in the area exercises pressure on the retail offer and makes it more difficult to establish and consolidate businesses. Moreover, there are no active business associations for merchants and professionals working along these arteries that could get involved in common projects to increase their vitality and the number of businesses along them.

Finally, in the borough we find an active, dynamic and healthy community network working for residents in each of the neighbourhoods. The organizations that comprise them work within two community councils, whose objective is to encourage information-sharing, networking, solidarity and joint action in favour of the well-being of communities and residents.

The population [3]

With its 164,246 residents, who make up more than 10% of the total population of Montréal, it is the most populous borough in Montréal. It also has proportionally the greatest number of families, of which 21.9%, or 8730, are headed by a single parent. Over 30% of its residents are aged between 15 and 34, with young people being mainly concentrated in Côte-des-Neiges. We also note that throughout the borough, but particularly in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, the population is aging, and there are concentrations of very old people in some areas.

Its population stands out from the rest of Montréal by its high level of education, with 45% having gone to university and 14% with no certificate, or degree. For Montréal in general, the levels are 30% and 23%, respectively.

It also stands out by its ethnic composition, with more than 40% of residents being visible minorities, and 47% born outside of Canada. Of recent immigrants, 15% of the population of the borough arrived in Canada between 2001 and 2006 and 21% are not legally recognized as Canadian citizens. With such a high level of immigration and the significant presence of students in the area, it is not surprising to note that at the time of the last census, 48% of the population had moved in the five previous years, with 35% having moved from another country.

The heterogeneity of the social composition can also be seen in the wide variation of median household and family income, both between Côte-des-Neiges (with a median income below the average for Montréal and the province as a whole and almost half the population living below the low income cut-off) and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (with a median income higher than the average for Montréal and the province as a whole) and within each neighbourhood.

Economy and employment

There are 4221 businesses established within the borough. [4]. The main areas of activity are:

• Health care and social assistance, with 646 establishments (15.3% of the total);

• Professional, scientific and technical services, with 557 establishments (13.2%);

• Retail businesses, with 554 establishments (13.1%);

• Other services, with 457 establishments (10.8%).

These establishments are also characterized by low numbers of staff, with almost 70% of them employing between one and four people. Large-scale enterprises (100 employees or more) are in the sectors of health care and social assistance (21), teaching services (12%), and retail business (13).

According to a study carried out by the Social Economy Chair, there are 296 social economy enterprises in the borough, i.e., 8.2% of these types of businesses in Montréal. These enterprises are active in the following sectors:

• Business, finance and services, with 12.4%;

• Leisure, tourism, accommodation and food services, with 10.7%;

• Health and social services, with 10.0%.

Community stakeholders note a trend emerging in the borough: self-employment as a means for people at retirement age to lengthen their working lives.

The active (employed or looking for work) population of the borough is 85,190 people. While that activity rate [5] is similar to that of the city of Montréal as a whole (64.3% versus 63.5%), the unemployment rate is much higher in Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (10.4% versus 9.2%). According to Emploi-Québec's Regroupement de l'Ouest, the population aged 15 and over living in the borough and born outside of Canada has an unemployment rate of 14.8%.

The main sectors of employment for residents are as follows:

• Health care and social assistance, with 11.8%;

• Professional, scientific and technical services, with 11.7%;

• Educational services, with 11.6%;

• Retail businesses, with 9.2%.

However, 82% of the 35,774 residents who commute daily to work between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. have jobs outside of the borough while, for the same reasons, and during the same period, 42,161 people commute to the borough.

For 2007, Emploi-Québec's Regroupement de l'Ouest counted 10,554 participants in social solidarity activities.

1 The figure for Montréal as a whole is 4438 people per km².

2 The avenue will be the subject of a revitalization program in the coming years.

3 Sources: Diagnosis and Analysis of Socioeconomic Issues, Côte-des-Neiges and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, CDEC Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Profil sociodémographique Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Ville de Montréal, December 2008 edition.

4 Source: Diagnosis and Analysis of Socioeconomic Issues, Côte-des-Neiges and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, CDEC Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

5 The activity rate represents the labour force expressed as a percentage of the population 15 years of age and over. Students, people at home, retired or sick, etc., are considered inactive. The employment rate indicates the proportion of people who are currently working.