Pointe-Claire

Pointe-Claire
City
Pointe-Claire Windmill
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap Interactive map outlining Pointe-Claire
Pointe-Claire Location in southern Quebec
Coordinates: 45°27′N 73°49′W / 45.450°N 73.817°W / 45.450; -73.817Coordinates: 45°27′N 73°49′W / 45.450°N 73.817°W / 45.450; -73.817
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Montréal
RCM	None
Founded	1698
Constituted	1 January 2006
Named for	Point of land with a clear view over Lake Saint-Louis
Government [1][2]
• Mayor	John Belvedere
• Federal riding	Lac-Saint-Louis
• Prov. riding	Jacques-Cartier
Area [1][3]
• Land	18.8 km2 (7.3 sq mi)
Population  (2016)[4]
• Total	31,380
• Density	1,665.6/km2 (4,314/sq mi)
• Pop 2011-2016	1.9%
• Dwellings	12,375
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	H9R, H9S
Area code(s)	514 and 438
Highways A-20	A-40 (TCH)
Website	www.ville.pointe-claire.qc.ca

Pointe-Claire (French pronunciation: ​[pwɛ̃t klɛʁ], Canadian French: [pwãẽ̯t klaɛ̯ʁ]) is a municipality on the Island of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. It is entirely developed, and land use includes residential, light manufacturing, and retail. The population is about 31,380 as of the 2016 Census.

Toponymy[]

The toponym refers to the peninsula, or point, where the windmill, convent, and the Saint-Joachim de Pointe-Claire Church are sited. The point extends into Lac Saint-Louis and has a clear view of its surroundings.^[5]

History[]

On a map of the Island of Montreal dated 1700, the words "Pointe" and "Pointe Claire" are visible.

Pointe-Claire was first described by Nicolas Perrot in his account of 1669, and the name Pointe-Claire appeared on a map as early as 1686. Although Samuel de Champlain canoed through the area in 1613, he reported no village or dwelling visible.^[6] The first grant of land under the seigneurial system was in 1684 to Pierre Cabassier, for a lot just east of Pointe Charlebois.^[7] Under the seigneurial system, the Sulpicians had to build a mill for the colonists, who in turn had to grind their grain there at a set fee.

In 1707, after the Great Peace of Montreal was signed in 1701, the Chemin du Roy (now Lakeshore Road) from Dorval to the western tip of Montreal Island was opened having been ordered by intendant Jacques Raudot,^[6] and the parish was subdivided in three côtes: St. Rémy (present-day Boulevard-des-Sources), St. Jean and St. Charles. Between côtes St. Rémy and St. Charles lay 33 lots (numbered 145 to 177). These were generally three arpents wide by 20 or 30 deep. Up to this time Pointe-Claire had only been accessible by boat.

In 1713 the seminary formed a parish on the land that now includes Pointe-Claire and much of the West Island, and in 1714 a church was built at the point, at the site of the present-day church.^[8] Up to that time the area was served by an itinerant missionary priest. Initially the church was called Saint-Francois-de-Sales, but it was renamed six months later to Saint-Joachim de la pointe claire. The church and presbytery, both built of stone, formed a fort about two arpents (7000 m²) in area, surrounded by stakes. The construction was ordered by Governor Beauharnois out of fear of the Iroquois. The point was used as a stopover by voyageurs en route for the back country.^[6]

In 1728-1729 the first lots were granted, near the fort, to a blacksmith and to a carpenter. By 1765 there were 783 residents, 74 lots owned by 35 individuals, and 19 houses, some built of stone, but most of wood.^[6]

In 1854 the municipality of Saint-Joachim-de-la-Pointe-Claire was defined, and the name eventually shortened to Pointe-Claire.^[5]

The Grand Trunk Railway built a line in 1855, linking Pointe-Claire to Montreal. This brought people, and with them property development in an area that up to then had been largely agricultural. It also improved the welfare of farmers by providing a ready market for their goods. Suburban development began in 1893 when Otto Frederick Lilly acquired land spanning Boulevard Saint Jean. He used his influence with the Canadian Pacific Railway to have a station added to the line at the end of Cedar avenue, which he also paved from there down to Lakeshore Road. Both sides of Cedar Avenue were built up by 1920. Provincial highway number 2 (now Autoroute 20) was built alongside the railway in 1940, following expropriation of property. This led to a move of much of the town from the south to the north of the highway, namely the town hall, recreation centre, police station, and fire station.^[8]

After the British North America Act of 1867 Pointe-Claire was included in the new federal riding of Jacques Cartier. In the election of the 7th of August, the men (suffrage did not extend to women until 1940) of Pointe-Claire elected the Conservative Guillaume Gamelin Gaucher.^[9]

In 1900 a major fire destroyed much of village. It was discovered in an uninhabited building around 02:00 on the morning of 22 May. The wind caused the fire to spread to surrounding houses. The only water supply was from village wells or carried in buckets from the river. A small two-wheeled hose reel and hand pump was the only village fire protection. Locals failed to put out the fire and asked for help from Montreal. Equipment was sent by train but did not arrive in time to help. The worst of the damage was on the rue de l'église. In all about 30 buildings were destroyed, including the post office, the town hall, and the residences of about 200 people.^[10][11]

From 2002 to 2006 there were municipal reorganizations across the province, which included a reorganization of Montreal; Pointe-Claire was merged into Montreal and became a borough. However, after political changes (2003 Quebec general election and the 2004 Quebec municipal referendums) it was re-constituted as an independent city in 2006, along with a number of other boroughs.

Geography[]

The shoreline of Pointe-Claire along Lac Saint-Louis is at about 30 metres above sea level and rises along a fault by about 30 metres not far from shore, more steeply in the west. The eastern side has a soil rich in clay, while the western side is stonier with limestone strata.^[12] Pointe-Claire is bounded on the north by Dollard-des-Ormeaux, on the east by Dorval, on the south by Lac Saint-Louis, and on the west by Kirkland and Beaconsfield.

Pointe-Claire is entirely urbanised and developed. There are 38 public parks and green spaces with 5 baseball/softball diamonds, 26 playgrounds, 19 soccer pitches, 7 outdoor swimming pools, 24 tennis courts, 10 outdoor skating rinks, and five shoreline areas.^[13]

Large green spaces include:

• The public Terra-Cotta Natural Park which is a natural green space of 39 hectares, with six kilometers of paths. From 1912 to 1962, a clay deposit on the site was exploited by the Montréal Terra Cotta and Lumber Co. The clay, mixed with sawdust, was baked on site to produce hollow tiles used in construction.^[14]
• The Last Post Fund National Field of Honour, a National Historic Site of Canada, which is open to the public.
• The private Beaconsfield Golf Course, on the site of a disused quarry which supplied limestone for the construction of the Victoria Bridge^[5] in 1860.

Economy[]

The city has a large business and industrial park spanning both sides of Quebec Autoroute 40. The manufacturing sector is the largest provider of jobs in Pointe-Claire, with 7,005 employees or 23.7 percent of employment. Employment in manufacturing has been declining, while employment has been growing in healthcare and social services. Retail is the second biggest sector with 17.7 percent of the total. Major employers (more than 500 employees) include: Future Electronics, Lakeshore General Hospital, Avon, Hewitt Équipement (CAT dealer), City of Pointe-Claire, Lumen, Bell TV, and Epicor. Employers of more than 200 employees include: Réno-Dépôt, El Ran Furniture, Tyco Medical, Hudson's Bay Company, and FPInnovations.^[15] Companies headquartered in Pointe-Claire include Bouclair, Novacam Technologies, Odan Laboratories, The Canadian Salt Company Limited and Unidisc Music.

Demographics[]

Source:^[16]

Education[]

The Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) operates Anglophone public school. They run two elementary schools: Clearpoint (formerly Cedar Park) and St. John Fisher, and two high schools: John Rennie, and St. Thomas.^[17][18] In addition St. Edmund Elementary School and Beacon Hill Elementary School in Beaconsfield as well as Wilder-Penfield Elementary in Dollard-des-Ormeaux serve sections of the city.^[19]

The Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys operates Francophone public schools, but were previously operated by the Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys until June 15, 2020. The change was a result of a law passed by the Quebec government that changed the school board system from denominational to linguistic. They run three primary schools: Marguerite-Bourgeoys, Pointe-Claire (formerly Lakeside Heights Elementary), and Saint-Louis, and one high school, the (formerly École secondaire Saint-Thomas).

Government[]

The current mayor of Pointe-Claire is John Belvedere. There are eight city councilors.

• Claude Cousineau (District 1—Cedar-Le Village)
• Paul Bissonnette (District 2—Lakeside)
• Kelly Thorstad-Cullen (District 3—Valois)
• Tara Stainforth (District 4—Cedar Park Heights)
• Cynthia Homan (District 5—Lakeside Heights)
• Dave Webb (District 6—Seigniory)
• Eric Stork (District 7—Northview)
• Brent Cowan (District 8—Oneida)

Provincially, Pointe-Claire is in the Jacques-Cartier electoral district, along with Baie-D'Urfé, Beaconsfield, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, and Senneville. It is the only provincial electoral district in Quebec with an Anglophone majority. From 1973 to 1981 it was in the now-defunct Pointe-Claire electoral district.

Infrastructure[]

Municipal sports and leisure facilities include the Aquatic Centre, Bob Birnie Arena, Pointe-Claire Public Library, Stewart Hall Cultural Centre, the Sailing Base at Grande-Anse Park, near the Pointe-Claire Canoe Club. Private facilities also exist, such as the Pointe-Claire Yacht Club.

The Pointe-Claire Water Treatment Plant distributes an average of 65,000 m³ of potable water per day to a population of 87,248 people and approximately 1000 business and commercial users spread out in the city of Pointe-Claire, Beaconsfield, Baie-D'Urfé, Kirkland, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and Senneville.^[20]

Transportation[]

Pointe-Claire is served by three stations on Exo's Vaudreuil-Hudson line: Pointe-Claire station located at Donegani Avenue and Ashgrove Avenue, Valois station located at Avenue De-la-Baie-de-Valois (Valois Bay) and Donegani Avenue, and Cedar Park station also located on Donegani Avenue between Applebee Avenue and Aurora Avenue.^[21] The city is also served by several bus routes operated by Société de transport de Montréal with a major terminal located at Fairview Pointe-Claire.

Starting 2024, Pointe-Claire will be served by two stations on the Réseau express métropolitain rapid transit network: Fairview–Pointe-Claire station on Fairview Avenue, and Des Sources station on Des Sources Boulevard.

Public safety[]

Municipal bylaw enforcement and animal control are provided by the city's Public Security force.^[22] Police services are provided by the Montreal Police Service. Fire and rescue services are provided by the Montreal Fire Department. Emergency Medical Services are provided by Urgences Sante. Emergency management, such as response to storms and flooding, as well as emergency medical care at public events is provided by the Pointe Claire Volunteer Rescue Unit.^[23]

See also[]

People from Pointe-Claire

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pointe-Claire.

• City of Pointe-Claire (official website)