Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension () is a borough (arrondissement) in the city of Montreal, Quebec. It had a population of 145,090 according to the 2021 Census and a land area of .
The borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension was created on January 1, 2002, following the municipal reorganization of Montreal. The borough includes the neighbourhoods of Villeray, Saint-Michel, and Parc-Extension.
History
Until the late Nineteenth century, the area that today comprises the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension was predominantly rural and dotted with farms. The inauguration of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1878 and the arrival of electric streetcars in 1892 permitted the growth of Villeray. It was also in this era that the Italian immigrant community chose the neighbourhood as their preferred location.
In the early Twentieth century, Park Extension became industrialized, and a dozen quarries opened which led to the economic development of the area. Beginning in the 1940s, the exploitation of the Miron and Francon quarries attracted workers to Saint Michel and Park Extension.
Construction of the Metropolitan Expressway was completed in 1959. It cut the area in two, but also attracted multiple industries, which opened along the expressway. In less than twenty years, the population of Saint Michel increased from 6,000 to 68,000 inhabitants.
Jobs derived from competing industries along with the efficient transportation infrastructure resulted in strong demographic growth. The growth of the manufacturing sector, notably the textile industry, were incentives for new immigrants to settle in the borough.
The borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension was created on January 1, 2002, following the municipal reorganization of Montreal. The borough includes three neighbourhoods that were part of Montreal before the reorganization: Villeray, Saint-Michel, and Park Extension. The Saint-Michel neighbourhood was formerly an independent city known as Saint-Michel-de-Laval which was annexed to Montreal in 1968. Villeray was once also an autonomous municipality but has been part of the city of Montreal since 1905. Parc Extension left the parish of St-Laurent to join the city of Montreal in 1910.
Geography
Located in north central Montreal, the pipe-shaped borough is bordered by Ahuntsic-Cartierville to the northwest, Montreal North to the northeast, Saint Leonard to the east, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie to the southeast, Outremont to the southwest, and Mount Royal to the west.
Saint-Michel is the easternmost neighbourhood of the borough, Park Extension is the westernmost neighbourhood and Villeray is in the centre.
Government
Municipal
thumb|A bicycle path on Boyer Street.
The current borough mayor is Laurence Lavigne Lalonde of Projet Montréal.
The borough is divided into four districts located in three different neighborhoods. The districts bear the same name as their respective neighborhood with the exception of François-Perreault which is part of the Saint-Michel and Villeray neighborhoods.
- Saint-Michel
- François-Perreault
- Park Extension
- Villeray
Borough council
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
! colspan="4" |2017 Montreal Municipal Elections
|-
! District
! Position
! Name
! Party
|-
| —
| Borough mayor<br />City councillor
| Giuliana Fumagalli
| Quartiers Montréal
|-
| François-Perrault
| City councillor
| Sylvain Ouellet
| Projet Montréal
|-
| Parc-Extension
| City councillor
| Mary Deros
| Ensemble Montréal
|-
| Saint-Michel
| City councillor
| Josué Corvil
| Ensemble Montréal
|-
| Villeray
| City councillor
| Rosannie Filato
| Projet Montréal
|}
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
! colspan="4" |2021 Montreal Municipal Elections
|-
! District
! Position
! Name
! Party
|-
| —
| Borough mayor<br />City councillor
| Laurence Lavigne Lalonde
| Projet Montréal
|-
| François-Perrault
| City councillor
| Sylvain Ouellet
| Projet Montréal
|-
| Parc-Extension
| City councillor
| Mary Deros
| Ensemble Montréal
|-
| Saint-Michel
| City councillor
| Josué Corvil
| Ensemble Montréal
|-
| Villeray
| City councillor
| Martine Musau Muelle
| Projet Montréal
|}
Federal and provincial
The borough is divided among the following federal ridings:
- Papineau
- Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel
It is divided among the following provincial electoral districts:
- Laurier-Dorion
- Viau
Demographics
Source: <sup>,</sup>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+Home language (2016)
! Language
! Population
! Percentage (%)
|-
| French
| 71,815
| 57%
|-
| English
| 12,545
| 10%
|-
| Other languages
| 41,290
| 33%
|}
The 2016 census found that 88% of the population only spoke one language at home. The five most common of these languages were French (57%), English (10%), Spanish (5.9%), Arabic (3.25%) and Vietnamese (2.9%).