Montreal DistrictsAhuntsic DistrictAhuntsic and Cartierville are located at the extreme north of Montreal with an easy access to Laval, a populated and commercial suburb located across the Back River. With a population of 375,000, Laval has become a key centre of economic activity. There are approximately 11,000 businesses established in Laval that employ no less than 122,000 people. The CP - the Canadian Pacific Railway - contributed to the economic development of the territory, but also created a physical barrier between Ahuntsic in the East and Cartierville in the West.
The expansion of the district started with the waterway transport on the Rivière des Prairies at the beginning of the colony and continued with the opening of the Montreal Metro in 1967. There’s always been a strong religious presence in the Centre North of the district. Many health and scholar establishments now occupy buildings that were built years ago by religious communities. Among them, the Mont Saint-Louis College on Henri Bourassa, the École Sophie Barat on Gouin East, the André Grasset College on Crémazie, the Ahuntsic College on St-Hubert and the Centre de santé et de services sociaux d’Ahuntsic et Montréal Nord also on Gouin East. 
The history of the North East sector goes a long way. There are still many historical houses that remind us of a life that thrived around the mills along the road leading to the Île de la Visitation, now a regional park. The island is the site of a 34-hectare nature park, as well as of the remaining buildings of the historic Sault au Récollet area. The most important concentration of historic houses is found in the district. The South West is a strong industrialized sector with very little green areas and a high concentration of immigrants. In the South East, 99% of the residences were built after 1960. It’s the only sector that experienced such a swift expansion. Definition of Population In the 1930’s, during the Great Depression , many unemployed men with no place to go used makeshift solutions to build houses for their families. The agglomeration became so important that it gave rise to the Saints Martyrs Canadiens parish in 1941. Between 1981 and 1985, the "20,000 Residence Operation" managed to double the population in the Domaine Saint-Sulpice, an area bordered by Louvain, Crémazie, Papineau and St-Hubert. Today the Domaine St-Sulpice is where some of the highest revenues are found but small islands of poverty around the HLM - Habitations à Loyers Modiques are also found. In the Saint-Benoît parish - Fleury West near Meilleur - as well as in the St-Sulpice area, families with average to high incomes blend with families with low incomes. Contrasts in the St-Simon neighbourhood bordered by the Metropolitan, the railway, the Cité de la mode and the Youville Maintenance Complex - part of the STM Montreal - are less striking because St-Simon is mainly composed of immigrants. 
The construction of the CN, the Canadian National Railway during the Second World War incited war industries to establish themselves on a territory now occupied by the clothing industry. Today the area is called the Cité de la mode and is located on Chabanel and Louvain between St-Laurent and Meilleur. A $20 million five stages renovation project in the Secteur l'Acadie Chabanel is presently underway in the Cité de la mode complex. The district is home of AMRAC - Atelier de Meubles et de Recyclage - a non-profit organization dedicated to young people (18-35) with little education and little work experience. In addition to schooling and working experience, AMRAC offers professional orientation services, assistance with job research and with personal and professional difficulties. The organization manufactures residential pieces of furniture made out of pine mostly. From East to West the great many green squares and parks along the Rivière des Prairies are great for walkers and picnickers. There are more parks in Ahuntsic and Cartierville than in any other Montreal borough. One of the main parks on the territory, the Ahuntsic Park is the host of two major musical events, the Festiblues International of Montreal and the "Concours de la relève en blues de Gaz Métro". The district is crossed by the Route Verte a province-wide network of bicycle paths that are great for cyclers and skaters. 
Maurice "Rocket" Richard was born in Nouveau Bordeaux but lived most of his life in the neighborhood. Born on August 4, 1921, he received his first pair of skates around the age of four. When Maurice Richard retired in 1960, he held 15 NHL scoring records. In 1996, at the closing of the Montreal Forum, a tearful "Rocket" received the longest standing ovation in the city's history. Richard's passing in 2000 prompted tributes from celebrities - sports, journalistic, literary, and political - across Canada, and an outpouring of grief and remembrance in Quebec. Thank you for visiting Ahuntsic District. Cartierville District / Ahuntsic Cartierville Borough Web Sites We Like
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