West Island

The West Island (in French, "l'Ouest de l'île") is the unofficial name given to the western cities and boroughs of the Island of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. The name probably originated from the geolinguistic division of the island into French and English, with francophones typically inhabiting the eastern portion of the island and anglophones typically inhabiting the western half. The West Island's population is approximately 222,000 and although most of its residents are today bilingual, anglophones still make up the majority of the West Island's population.

The West Island has a multicultural look with modern buildings and 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 fascinating 18th-century buildings. The shores of Lake Saint-Louis offer a unique setting with café-terrasses, restaurants and boutiques filled with quaint old world charm.

The region is home to the Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (formerly Montreal-Dorval), John Abbott College, the Macdonald College 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.

Merger and demerger

The cities were merged into Montreal on January 1, 2002, but on June 20, 2004 most voted to demerge. The demerger became effective on January 1, 2006. Pierrefonds, Roxboro, Sainte-Geneviève and Île-Bizard remained in Montreal, as the boroughs of Pierrefonds-Roxboro and L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève, respectively. Saint-Laurent, Lachine, and LaSalle, are not part of the West-Island.

This was used as an argument for amalgamation, as 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 neighborhoods, parks and historical sites.

West Islanders in general were very unhappy with the forced mergers, and in the 2004 referendums, nine municipalities voted to separate from the megacity. In many cases, the amalgamations had resulted in tax hikes of more than 20 per cent with no increase in services.

The West Island consists of the following cities:

Demographics

Language

(Includes West Island municipalities only, not West-Island boroughs of Montreal.)From Canada 2006 Census

ports and recreation

The area is home to the North Shore Lions football Bantam team.

See also

*Lac-Saint-Louis (electoral district)
*Pierrefonds—Dollard (electoral district)
*Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine
*Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
*LaSalle—Émard
* Boroughs of Montreal
* List of former boroughs of Montreal
* Districts of Montreal
* Municipal reorganization in Quebec

External links

* [http://www.westislandkids.com West Island Family Resources]
* [http://www.westislandgazette.com/ West Island Gazette]