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Saint Leonard, Quebec

Saint-Léonard
Borough of Montreal
Saint-Léonard church on Jarry Street.
Saint-Léonard church on Jarry Street.
Official logo of Saint-Léonard
Logo
St. Leonard's location in Montreal
St. Leonard's location in Montreal
Coordinates: 45°35′09″N 73°35′46″W / 45.58583°N 73.59611°W / 45.58583; -73.59611
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
City Montreal
Region Montréal
Merge into
Montreal
January 1, 2002
Electoral Districts
Federal

Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel
Provincial Jeanne-Mance–Viger
Government
 • Type Borough
 • Mayor Michel Bissonnet (EDC)
 • Federal MP(s) Nicola Di Iorio (LPC)
 • Quebec MNA(s) Filomena Rotiroti (PLQ)
Area
 • Land 13.51 km2 (5.22 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 75,707
 • Density 5,603.8/km2 (14,514/sq mi)
 • Change (2006-11) Increase5.5%
 • Dwellings(2006) 31,105
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC−5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Area code(s) Area code 514/438
Access Routes A-40 (TCH)
Website www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/st-leonard

Saint-Léonard (English St. Leonard) is a borough (arrondissement) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formerly a separate city, it was amalgamated into the city of Montreal in 2002. The former city was originally called St-Léonard de Port Maurice after Leonard of Port Maurice.

The parish of Saint-Léonard-de-Port-Maurice was founded in April 1886 and eventually became the City of Saint-Léonard-de-Port-Maurice on March 5, 1915.

The borough has one of the highest concentrations of Italian-Canadians in the city, along with Riviere-des-Prairies (RDP). As such, it has surpassed Montreal's rapidly gentrifying Little Italy as the centre for Italian culture in the city, with numerous cultural institutions and commercial enterprises serving the city's second-most populous cultural community. By necessity, many services are available in Italian, English and French (the Leonardo da Vinci Centre, for instance, offers cultural activities and events in the three languages). The borough is characterized by its spacious, wide-set semi-detached brick duplexes (and triplexes, four-plexes, and five-plexes — an architectural style unique to Montreal), backyard vegetable gardens, Italian bars (cafés), and pastry shops serving Italian-Canadian staples such as cannoli, sfogliatelle, lobster tails, and zeppole. At some times of year, it is possible to observe seasonal Italian traditions like the making of wine, cheese, sausage, and tomato sauce in quantity. These activities bring extended families and neighbours together and often spill out into front driveways.

Italian immigrants have historically established themselves in predominantly Francophone areas of Montreal (Little Italy and Saint-Leonard), and although linguistically Italian is closer to French, Italian-Montrealers have mostly favoured English as a language of education. In 1967, in the midst of Quebec’s Quiet Revolution, the Italian community inadvertently became the primary actor in the linguistic debate coined the “Saint-Leonard Conflict.”


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