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Settlements in Quebec, Canada

The West Island is the unofficial name given to the city, towns and boroughs at the western end of the Island of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. It is generally considered to consist of the Lakeshore municipalities of Lachine (specifically the Western Lachine area, also known as Dixie and later Summerlea), Dorval, Pointe Claire, and Beaconsfield, the municipalities of Kirkland, Dollard des Ormeaux, Baie D'Urfé, Sainte Anne de Bellevue, the village of Senneville, and two North Shore boroughs of the city of Montreal: Pierrefonds Roxboro and L'Île Bizard–Sainte Geneviève. Historically, there was a linguistic division of the island of Montreal into French and English 'halves', with Francophones typically inhabiting the eastern portion of the island and Anglophones typically inhabiting the western half. The West Island's population is approximately 238,000 and although the overwhelming majority of its residents are today bilingual if not multi lingual (given the cosmopolitan nature of this vast suburban area), anglophones still make up a plurality of the West Island's population. As late as the 1960s, much of the West Island was farmland populated by French Canadians, which in turn accounts for a significant Francophone cultural influence in the region. The region is home to the Montréal–Trudeau International Airport, John Abbott College, Cégep Gérald Godin, the Macdonald Campus of McGill University, the Fairview Pointe Claire and Galeries des Sources malls, as well as Montreal's largest park, the Cap Saint Jacques Nature Park. Hospitals include the Veteran's Hospital in Sainte Anne's and the Lakeshore General Hospital in Pointe Claire. Municipalities range in character from the modern bedroom communities of Kirkland or Dollard des Ormeaux to the former cottage country homes of Dorval, Pointe Claire and Beaconsfield. Development and the concentration of industrial activity along highways 20, 40 and 13 over the last twenty years has made securing the region's remaining tracts of open land a priority for many West Island residents. The West Island is home to one of the last large remaining tracts of Montreal region wilderness on island.

As part of the 2002–2006 municipal reorganization of Montreal, all individual cities on the Island of Montreal, including those in the West Island, were merged into the expanded city of Montreal on January 1, 2002. However, following a change of government and a 2004 referendum, the residents of most West Island cities voted for demerger, and were re constituted effective January 1, 2006. However, they remained part of a new supra municipal structure: the urban agglomeration of Montreal. Pierrefonds, Roxboro, Sainte Geneviève and Île Bizard remained in Montreal, as the boroughs of Pierrefonds Roxboro and L'Île Bizard–Sainte Geneviève, respectively. One argument for amalgamation was that West Islanders enjoyed lower taxes than the old city of Montreal, but still used its theatres, concert halls, and museums. With amalgamation, tax rates were harmonized across the island. In fact, the West Island contains several wealthy neighbourhoods, parks and historical sites. When referring to the towns that touch Lake Saint Louis, such as Dorval, Pointe Claire and Beaconsfield, many people called the area the Lakeshore. Whereas in reference to towns that touch Lake of Two Mountains and Rivière des Prairies, such as Pierrefonds, Sainte Geneviève and Roxboro, they called the area the North Shore.

The West Island has a cosmopolitan feel and at times an eclectic design (with modern buildings and classic Québécois country homes side by side). The region boasts large green spaces bordering rivers and lakes, bike trails, nature parks, museums, cross country ski trails, ecological farms, golf courses and cultural sites. As a testimony to its 300 year old history, residents and visitors alike will discover 18th century buildings along the former Chemin du Roy, today Gouin Boulevard and Chemin du Bord du Lac, in addition to the remnants of Fort Senneville. The shores of Lake Saint Louis offer a unique setting with café terrasses, restaurants and boutiques filled with quaint Old World charm. The area today is largely middle and upper middle class residential zoning along with the strip malls and other services one might expect in a North American mega suburb. Large tracts were developed in the period between 1955–1975 (such as Dollard des Ormeaux, Pierrefonds, Roxboro and Kirkland) where the majority of homes are similarly sized variations of the basic bungalow design, though with traditional Québécois architectural influences. Lots tend to be more or less even in size without much variation across entire cities or boroughs. As such, the West Island tends to give the impression of being a somewhat homogeneous construction.

The environment and climate of the West Island is almost identical to that of Montreal, and is affected by the same ecological conditions, namely, it is a large open plain of wide plateaus and marshland. The West Island is surrounded by the other islands in the Hochelaga Archipelago as well as Lake of Two Mountains and Lac Saint Louis and their inter connected rivers and creeks. The territory was largely agricultural from the 17th century until the middle of the 20th century, when it was then quickly developed into a sprawling network of bedroom suburbs. The West Island has numerous large tracts of uncultivated land, some of which are protected parks while in other cases they're merely the fallow fields of former farms, waiting to be sold to residential property developers. Other portions of land have been designated for the construction of a highway to connect the 40 with the 440, through Kirkland, Pierrefonds, Île Bizard and Laval, but the plan has gone nowhere. A significant portion of the Northwestern corner of the West Island is so sparsely developed it constitutes the last portion of Montreal's pre settlement ecosystem. Though agriculture on the island is limited to the Macdonald Experimental Farm, the remnants of farmland in Senneville and Pierrefonds are likely to be developed into low density residential housing. Conserving the remaining segments of local island wilderness has become a focal point of West Island politics over the course of the last thirty years, and is point of common concern.

Due to the primarily residential character of the West Island and the influence of the City Beautiful and Garden City movements in residential urban planning in older suburbs on island, the West Island is primarily composed of single family dwellings on spacious lots organized along small winding roads leading away from large thoroughfares. The area is notable for its many parks and a general emphasis on retaining as much of the rustic, rural charm that characterized the region and led to its development as a popular summer retreat in the early part of the 20th century. Due to these and other traits, a wide variety of flora and fauna common to the Saint Lawrence river valley can be found in a somewhat balanced natural ecosystem in the largely undeveloped Northwestern corner of the West Island, in addition to the developed low density residential areas. Flora and fauna found in the West Island fall within the broader spectrum of the Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests ecoregion. Of note is the presence of non native, borderline hardiness trees, such as the tulip tree, which thrive in small section of Senneville near the Île aux Tourtes Bridge. Mammalian species that inhabit the greater West Island region include white tailed deer, coyote and cottontail rabbits. The current population of white tailed deer is substantial, estimated at over a thousand. It is not uncommon for moose to occasionally cross the ice onto the island in winter. Other species endemic to the western portion of the island include grey squirrels, red squirrels, flying squirrels, mink, chipmunks, raccoons, beaver, skunks, porcupines, martens, woodchucks, muskrat, otters, and fox. The number of bird species varies according to season and migration. During spring and fall many species pass through the area on their way to southern breeding grounds. During winter months, depending on climatic conditions and availability of food in the northern Quebec, many species of birds will take up temporary residence, such as great grey owls, snow buntings, snowy owls, and others. The West Island has enough variation in suitable habitats, such as marsh, ponds, forest and field that many species of birds nest here. Various species of reptiles which can be found include garter snakes, red bellied, brown, milk and the northern water snake. Species of turtles include painted, map and snapping turtle. Amphibians include bullfrogs, green frogs, leopard frogs, spring peepers, wood frogs, and others. Salamanders such as the eastern newt, red backed salamander, blue spotted salamander are also found in the more humid habitats. In the surrounding waters of the west island, notably the Lake Saint Louis side, large fish species such as northern pike, sturgeon, garfish, carp, catfish, muskellunge can be found. Given the Saint Lawrence's heavy traffic and years of misuse, the ecoregion is negatively effected by high pollution which in turn has resulted in diminished local populations of native fauna. That said, residential development in the greater West Island suburban region (including the Vaudreuil Soulanges area and parts of Eastern Ontario), has resulted in occasional sightings of black bears, wolves, lynx and cougars (which are generally believed to be extinct though sightings and some physical evidence suggest otherwise) as they themselves are pushed out of their habitats.

The Morgan Arboretum in Sainte Anne de Bellevue is 610 acres of protected urban forest with over 180 bird species, of which about one hundred breed within the park. It is also home to the Ecomuseum Zoo, which features a collection of species native to the Saint Lawrence River valley. Cap Saint Jacques is Montreal's largest park at 711 acres of protected forest, featuring 30 km of cross country trails, a beach and a small organic farm. There are also the L'Anse à l'Orme Nature Park, Angell Woods, Terra Cotta Park, Centennial Park, the Rapides du Cheval Blanc linear park, and the Bois de Liesse Nature Park. These constitute the major forested areas in the West Island, with remaining community green spaces typically designed in conventional park layout. Other principal large open green spaces include Macdonald Experimental Farm and remaining tracts of open land around the Morgan Arboretum in Senneville and western Pierrefonds.

The West Island is served by several weekly newspapers including the English language The Suburban, West Island Gazette and Montreal Times as well as Cités Nouvelles, published in French. The North Shore News once served the communities of Pierrefonds, Roxboro & Dollard des Ormeaux when those communities were primarily focused along access routes to and from Gouin and Sources Boulevards and the Sunnybrook and Roxboro train stations. Though the publication was touted as the West Island's only independent weekly throughout the 1960s and 1970s, it died out in the 1980s. Another longtime publication was the English language West Island Chronicle, which began in 1925 and ended in 2015. A local radio station CFOX broadcast from Pointe Claire at 1470 kHz in the AM broadcast band from 1960–1989. It offered several different program formats including country as well as top 40 music before its sale to the CKO all news network. Declining revenue led the station's closure in 1989.

The West Island boasts multiple public and private sports and recreation facilities, many of which are co located at local secondary schools or gathered around municipal buildings. As with many suburban areas, residents have access to numerous community pools, parks, greens and playgrounds, in addition to soccer and football fields, rugby pitches and baseball diamonds. All West Island residents have access to amateur sports clubs and associations, and minor level hockey, soccer, basketball and football are all quite popular. Moreover, various leagues and associations are generally very open to accepting residents from all communities. As with most Canadian communities, there is at least one hockey rink in every city or town in the West Island. These facilities have, in the past, also served as venues for rock concerts and the like. A notable example was the old Pierrefonds Arena, demolished in the late 1990s, which once attracted bands like the Eagles and Black Sabbath when it was difficult for most West Island youth to reach downtown concert venues. DDO and Pointe Claire both boast large civic centres replete with Olympic sized pools and appropriate diving platforms, and the West Island has a noticeable youth subculture focused on swimming, diving and life guarding at community pools. The world famous Royal Golf Club of Montreal is located in Ile Bizard and is one of eight golf greens in the West Island, the majority of which are private. Other typical West Island sports and recreation facilities include numerous tennis clubs and courts, curling clubs and the occasional bocci pitch. Other notable West Island sports and recreation facilities include the West Island YMCA and YM/YWHA, Dollard des Ormeaux's Centennial Park (with hills ideally suited for tobogganing and forests inter laced with cross country ski trails), Cap St. Jacques (which features the only remaining beach open to the public on the island) and the facilities affiliated with John Abbott College. In addition, numerous sports leagues for children and youth utilize facilities shared with local primary and secondary schools. The area is home to the North Shore Lions football Bantam team as well as their older team the North Shore Mustangs, which compete at a midget division 1 AAA level, which holds the most division and provincial titles in Quebec Midget Football League (QMFL) history.

Fritz Farm, a community cultural centre in Baie D'Urfé located at 20477 Chemin Lakeshore on a large common green bordering picturesque Lake Saint Louis. Fritz Farm is one of several examples of preserved heritage homes dating back to the 18th century that can be found in Baie D'Urfé, which are a direct link to the West Island's colonial era. Église Sainte Geneviève, a parish church established in 1741 by Antoine Faucon and completed in its present form in 1844. It is located at the intersection of Rue St Louis and Gouin Boulevard West in the village of Sainte Geneviève and is part of a larger complex that includes a presbytery and cemetery and a municipal park along the banks of the scenic Rivière des Prairies. Saint Joachim de Pointe Claire Church & Pointe Claire Village, another parish church established in the mid 18th century, though completed only in 1885 in a Gothic revival style, designed by noted local church architect Victor Bourgeau. It is located at 2 Ste Anne Street in Pointe Claire Village. Permanent settlement in this part of the West Island dates back at least as far as 1710, when the emblematic Pointe Claire Windmill was completed. The Village features many 19th century and early 20th century buildings and forms an important local small business sector. There are many restaurants and boutiques in the area, in addition to the exclusive Beaconsfield Golf Club and the Pointe Claire Curling Club. Othe sites of interest include the Pointe Claire Windmill & Summer Retreat of the Congregation Notre Dame. Centennial Hall, in Beaconsfield – a community cultural centre and small scale performance venue. Stewart Hall, in Pointe Claire – an art gallery and community cultural centre and small scale performance venue. The Museum of Local History and Heritage located at 1850 Lakeshore Drive and adjacent to the large linear parks that stretch from Dorval along the edge of Lac Saint Louis east towards Old Lachine Village where the old public beaches used to be. There are several marinas in the area and each summer the lake is filled with diverse pleasure craft. Wind surfing here is quite popular, though public bathing is illegal and generally discouraged. Fishing is popular, though again, it is unwise to consume anything caught. The Morgan Arboretum and Ecomuseum Zoo, a zoo dedicated to animal species endemic to the Eastern Great Lakes lowland forest, located in one of the last old growth example of the type on island. The Ecomuseum is, along with Montréal's Biodome and Insectarium, one of the key local public zoological institutions that have found innovative solutions to the problems with 'traditional zoos'. Old Saint Anne's Village and the Sainte Anne de Bellevue Canal, another area in the West Island where permanent settlement dates back to the mid late 17th century, Sainte Anne's became a focal point for local services with the development of Macdonald College and the Veterans Hospital during the early 20th century. The Village has many restaurants and bars and other services supporting the comparatively large student population. The area features a boardwalk, the old Rex Theatre and numerous specialty shops. Other features include the Gallipeault Bridge which connects Sainte Anne's to Ile Perot. The Canadian Aviation Heritage Centre and the Macdonald Experimental Farm, co located at McGill's Macdonald Campus in Sainte Anne de Bellevue. Fort Senneville, originally built in 1671 and destroyed and re built twice, the Fort was captured and destroyed by Benedict Arnold in 1776 during manœuvres associated with the Battle of The Cedars during the American War of Independence. A commemorative plaque located along Chemin Senneville by the Lake of Two Mountains records the location of the battle associated with the fall of the Fort. All that remains today is part of the windmill which doubled as a watch tower and the foundations of the seigneurial house, if not some portions of the walls. The site is on private property though the proprietor has been known to allow visitors if they ask politely. Cap Saint Jacques Nature Park – the largest nature park on the island also features the only remaining public beach and an organic farm. Rapides du Cheval Blanc Listed as one of the ten Eco territories of Montreal The park has a view of the Whitehorse rapids and a wooded area. Bois de Liesse Nature Park, the second largest nature park on island and home to some protected heritage properties.