Brossard | |
|---|---|
| Ville de Brossard | |
 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Motto: Si Je Puis Oultre | |
 Location within Urban Agglomeration of Longueuil. | |
  Brossard Location in southern Quebec. | |
| Coordinates:45°28′N73°27′W / 45.467°N 73.450°W /45.467; -73.450[1] | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Quebec |
| Region | Montérégie |
| RCM | None |
| Agglomeration | Longueuil |
| Founded | February 14, 1958 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1978 |
| Amalgamated | January 1, 2002 |
| Reconstituted | January 1, 2006 |
| Founded by | Georges-Henri Brossard |
| Named after | Prominent family of the region and the city's founder |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Doreen Assaad |
| • Governing Body | Brossard City Council |
| • MP | Alexandra Mendès (Brossard—Saint-Lambert,LPC) |
| • MNA | Linda Caron (La Pinière,Québec Liberal Party) Isabelle Poulet (Laporte,Coalition Avenir Québec) |
| Area | |
• Total | 52.20 km2 (20.15 sq mi) |
| • Land | 45.19 km2 (17.45 sq mi) |
| • Water | 13.60 km2 (5.25 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[6] | |
• Total | 91,525 |
| • Density | 2,025.3/km2 (5,246/sq mi) |
| • Change (2016–21) |  6.8% |
| • Dwellings | 37,275 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area code(s) | 450 and 579 |
Highways A-10 A-15 A-20 A-30 |  R-132 R-134 |
| NTS Map | 31H6Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu |
| GNBC Code | EQKVD |
| Québec Geocode | 58007 |
| CLSC Territory | Brossard-Saint-Lambert (16052) |
| Demonym | Brossardois(e) |
| Rank | 67th |
| Website | https://www.brossard.ca/ |
Brossard (/brɒˈsɑːr,ˈbrɒsɑːrd/bross-AR,BROSS-ard,French:[bʁɔsaʁ],locally[bʁɔsɑːʁ,bʁɔsɑɔ̯ʁ]) is a municipality in theMontérégie region ofQuebec, Canada and is part of theGreater Montreal area. According to the2021 census, Brossard's population was 91,525.[6] It shares powers with theurban agglomeration of Longueuil and was aborough of themunicipality of Longueuil from 2002 to 2006.
According to the website of the city of Brossard, the municipality was named in honour of the Brossard family (the surname derives from a word meaning "brushwood"), a prominent settler family of the area whose presence was first attested in 1766.[7] A member of this family, Georges-Henri Brossard, had been mayor of the predecessor parish municipality of La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine since 1944 and became the first mayor of Brossard.
Other names that were considered included Maisonneuve (which was also considered as a possible name for theChamplain Bridge), La Vérendrye, Marquetteville, or Forgetville. The latter name, in honour of the recently deceased Mgr.Anastase Forget, bishop ofSaint-Jean; however, PremierMaurice Duplessis intervened, to avoid the connotations of the English word "forget," and the name Brossard was ultimately chosen.[8]
The city of Brossard was founded on February 14, 1958, and was before part of La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine Parish. Its first mayor was Georges-Henri Brossard. At the very beginning, there were 3,400 inhabitants.
The city has some homes dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, particularly along Prairies Road.
On August 8, 1964, a portion of land fromGreenfield Park was added to Brossard. Furthermore,Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur was annexed to Brossard on March 25, 1978, becoming the "A" section to form the current city.
In the 1970s, an attempt was made by René Désourdy to construct acemetery in Brossard. The attempt failed due to the water table being too high in most of the city, and as of 2024 Brossard has no cemetery.
Brossard was forcibly merged into the city ofLongueuil on January 1, 2002, as a result ofmunicipal reorganization in Quebec.[9] and a demerger movement was started by Pierre Senécal, Jacques St-Amant and Gilles Larin which resulted in a municipalreferendum, the largest demerger vote in Québec, that took place on June 20, 2004. 38.70% of the 50,539 qualified voters voted YES for demerger,[10] which met the requirements (35% or more of total voting population) needed for de-amalgamation. As a result, Brossard would continue to be a borough of the city of Longueuil only until the end of 2005.
On January 1, 2006, Brossard was reconstituted as a city and Jean-Marc Pelletier waselected as the new mayor. However, Brossard still remains part of theurban agglomeration of Longueuil and thus, Brossard sits on theagglomeration council which determines certain powers of reconstituted cities.
On November 11, 2017, Doreen Assad was elected mayor of Brossard, the first woman ofEgyptian descent to hold such position in Canada.[11]
Brossard is surrounded by four municipalities on theSouth Shore of Montreal:Saint-Lambert,Longueuil (Borough of Greenfield Park andBorough of Saint-Hubert),Carignan andLa Prairie. Brossard is situated on the Saint Lawrence River to the west and by theSaint-Jacques River to the south.(see Geographic location section below)
Many parks are scattered throughout the city of Brossard, includingParc écologique des Sansonnets. The parks are connected to the other areas of the city by about 37 km (23 miles) of biking paths.[12] The city also has a municipal library building connected to its city hall building via an indoor passageway.
Brossard is subdivided into many smaller sections. These sections are characterized by having street names that all begin with the same letter of the alphabet. The only notable exceptions are few major arteries (such asTaschereau Boulevard and Rome Boulevard) that span across two or more sections. The lettered sectors were created under a 1960s planning and zoning scheme, pursuant to a guiding plan established by the engineering firm of Beauchemin, Beaton et Lapointe, and had the goal of easier wayfinding in the absence of a right-angled street grid. Some of the sectors correspond to former neighbourhoods or municipalities, as follows:[13]
| Sector | Original name |
|---|---|
| A | Saint-Alphonse, Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur |
| B | Vanier, Southgate |
| I | Parc Industriel |
| M | Aster, Asterville |
| O, R, S | Brosseau-Station |
| P, V | Marie-Victorin, Parkland |
| T | Champlain |
Some constructions in the "A" and "R" sections of Brossard are older than the city itself because they were built in the former communities of Notre-Dame-du-Sacré Coeur andBrosseau Station, respectively. The "M" and "V" sections are the first neighbourhoods built after the inauguration of Brossard in 1958.
Two sparsely inhabited parts of Brossard, containing no streets other than main arteries and industrial roads, are arbitrarily called the "X" and "Y" sections.
| Climate data forMontreal Saint-Hubert Longueuil Airport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −5.6 (21.9) | −3.2 (26.2) | 2.3 (36.1) | 11.3 (52.3) | 19.1 (66.4) | 23.8 (74.8) | 26.6 (79.9) | 25.4 (77.7) | 20.5 (68.9) | 13 (55) | 5.6 (42.1) | −1.5 (29.3) | 11.4 (52.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −15.1 (4.8) | −13.1 (8.4) | −7.3 (18.9) | 0.1 (32.2) | 6.7 (44.1) | 11.9 (53.4) | 14.8 (58.6) | 13.6 (56.5) | 8.8 (47.8) | 2.7 (36.9) | −2.6 (27.3) | −10.1 (13.8) | 0.9 (33.6) |
| Source:Environment Canada[14] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 3,590 | — |
| 1961 | 3,778 | +5.2% |
| 1966 | 11,884 | +214.6% |
| 1971 | 23,452 | +97.3% |
| 1976 | 37,641 | +60.5% |
| 1981* | 52,232 | +38.8% |
| 1986 | 57,441 | +10.0% |
| 1991 | 64,793 | +12.8% |
| 1996 | 65,927 | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 65,026 | −1.4% |
| 2006 | 71,154 | +9.4% |
| 2011 | 79,273 | +11.4% |
| 2016 | 85,721 | +8.1% |
| 2021 | 91,525 | +6.8% |
| [15][16][17] (*) Brossard annexed the Municipality of Notre-Dame. | ||
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Brossard had a population of91,525 living in35,885 of its37,275 total private dwellings, a change of6.8% from its 2016 population of85,721. With a land area of 45.19 km2 (17.45 sq mi), it had a population density of2,025.3/km2 (5,245.6/sq mi) in 2021.[18]
Aside from French, a variety of other languages are spoken in Brossard on a daily basis, as according to the2021 census. The prominent languages spoken primarily at home and their relative share areFrench (43%),English (18%),Mandarin (6%),Yue (4%),Spanish (4%) andArabic (3%).
Brossard is among the most multicultural municipalities inGreater Montreal, as there are 30 ethnic groups that represent at least 1% of the population. According to the2021 census the prominent ethnic groups and their relative share areChinese (16%),French (14%),Canadian (13%).Québécois (5%) andIrish (4%)[19]
| Chinese | 15.8% |
| French | 13.5% |
| Canadian | 12.7% |
| Québécois | 4.7% |
| Irish | 3.8% |
| Italian | 3.6% |
| French Canadian | 3.4% |
| Arab | 2.9% |
| Vietnamese | 2.6% |
| Indian | 2.5% |
| English | 2.1% |
| Scottish | 2.1% |
| Greek | 2.1% |
| Afghan | 1.9% |
| Spanish | 1.8% |
| Haitian | 1.8% |
| Moroccan | 1.8% |
| Romanian | 1.7% |
| Lebanese | 1.6% |
| Colombian | 1.6% |
| Iranian | 1.5% |
| German | 1.5% |
| Portuguese | 1.4% |
| Egyptian | 1.4% |
| African | 1.3% |
| Russian | 1.3% |
| Pakistani | 1.2% |
| Algerian | 1.1% |
| Polish | 1.1% |
| Filipino | 1.0% |
Percentages are calculated as a proportion of the total number of respondents and may total more than 100% due to dual responses.
All ethnocultural ancestries of more than 1% are listed in the table above according to the exact terminology used byStatistics Canada.[20]
Brossard is a mainly residential suburb with a moderate diversity of structural styles. The most popular styles of housing are semi-detached houses which represent 44% of private dwellings and apartment buildings with fewer than five storeys which represent 31% of private dwellings.
Statistics for the population according tomother tongue (the first language learned and still remembered) vary significantly from the statistics forhome language (the language spoken most often at home), as well as also varying significantly from the statistics for official language usage.
| Mother Tongue (2021)[21] | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| French | 35,285 | 39.0% |
| English | 10,545 | 11.7% |
| English and French | 1,915 | 2.1% |
| French and a non-official language | 1,730 | 1.9% |
| English and a non-official language | 1,490 | 1.6% |
| English, French and a non-official language | 1,045 | 1.2% |
| Mandarin | 6,530 | 7.2% |
| Spanish | 5,090 | 5.6% |
| Arabic | 4,855 | 5.4% |
| Yue | 4,785 | 5.3% |
| Dari | 1,660 | 1.8% |
| Vietnamese | 1,520 | 1.7% |
| Romanian | 1,240 | 1.4% |
| Iranian Persian | 1,045 | 1.2% |
| Greek | 1,015 | 1.1% |
| Portuguese | 1,000 | 1.1% |
| Russian | 935 | 1.0% |
| Italian | 625 | 0.7% |
| Morisyen | 545 | 0.6% |
| Urdu | 530 | 0.6% |
| Bengali | 430 | 0.5% |
| Bulgarian | 385 | 0.4% |
| Haitian Creole | 370 | 0.4% |
| Korean | 370 | 0.4% |
| Punjabi | 345 | 0.4% |
| Tagalog | 345 | 0.4% |
| Canada Census Mother Tongue - Brossard, Quebec | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Total | French | English | French & English | Other | |||||||||||||
| Year | Responses | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | |||||
2021 | 90,470 | 35,285 |  5.6% | 39.0% | 10,545 | 6.9% | 11.7% | 1,915 | 53.2% | 2.1% | 38,160 | 14.9% | 42.2% | |||||
2016 | 84,480 | 37,385 | 0.1% | 44.3% | 9,865 | 4.3% | 11.7% | 1,250 | 10.1% | 1.5% | 33,215 | 15.9% | 39.3% | |||||
2011 | 78,835 | 37,340 | 5.2% | 47.4% | 9,460 | 6.5% | 12.0% | 1,135 | 97.4% | 1.4% | 28,665 | 17.5% | 36.4% | |||||
2006 | 70,740 | 35,510 | 2.0% | 50.2% | 8,885 | 1.1% | 12.6% | 575 | 20.0% | 0.8% | 24,385 | 26.6% | 34.5% | |||||
2001 | 64,655 | 36,235 | 1% | 56.0% | 8,985 | 6.6% | 13.7% | 690 | 23.1% | 1.1% | 17,890 | 2.2% | 27.7% | |||||
1996 | 65,927 | 36,615 | n/a | 55.5% | 9,575 | n/a | 14.5% | 850 | n/a | 1.3% | 17,505 | n/a | 26.6% | |||||
Brossard is the commercial hub of the south shore, most businesses located alongTaschereau Boulevard, insideChamplain Mall andPlace Portobello or at thelifestyle centre,Quartier DIX30. A particular segment of Taschereau Boulevard nearLa Prairie and theSaint-Jacques River is home to an exceptionally large concentration of car dealerships offering most available makes and models.
Brossard has a rich cultural scene influenced by its diverse population. The city hosts various cultural events, including music festivals, art exhibitions, and theater performances, reflecting its vibrant arts community. Additionally, Brossard's cultural heritage is celebrated through its museums, galleries, and historical sites, providing residents and visitors alike with opportunities to explore and appreciate its artistic and cultural offerings.[22]
Brossard is home of many festivities:
L'association de soccer de Brossard has been given exclusive authority from the City of Brossard to organize recreational and competitive soccer primarily for youth (ages 4 to 18). Programs are also offered for adults. The Association is affiliated with FIFA via the Canadian and Quebec Provincial soccer federations.
The sport is amongst the most popular in the city given it is quite accessible (i.e. very little equipment required) and the continued increase in popularity of the sport in North America. Consequently, there are more than 2,500 annual registrations of which approximately one third are for the winter season and the rest for the summer season. The summer program is run on the various soccer fields in the city. The winter program is held indoors, at the CN Sports Complex and at various gyms in the schools within the city boundaries. Notorious footballers from Brossard includes formerCanadian national team playerPatrice Bernier and exbundesliga strikerOlivier Occean.
The Association also hosts the Brossard Challenge tournament during the first weekend in August every year. The tournament attracts teams from all areas of the province of Quebec. There are also teams from outside Quebec, mainly Ontario.
TheCN Sports Complex is a multipurpose sports facility located in Brossard that contains two ice hockey rinks and one indoor soccer pitch. It is used as the official practice facility of theNational Hockey League'sMontreal Canadiens.
Brossard is home to the Brossard Mustangs and the Brossard Flames in theLigue de Hockey Junior A Rive-Sud.
Figure skating in Brossard is very popular amongst children of all ages. The Brossard Figure Skating Club (Brossard FSC) is the only organization to provide figure skating lessons in accordance with Skate Canada's standards in the city of Brossard.
Lessons and ice-time are held at the CN Sports Complex facilities, a facility built for the NHL's Montreal Canadiens as a practice and fitness centre, as well as the Michel-Normandin Arena, named after Michel Normandin, a famous Montreal sports announcer.[23]
Brossard FSC offers training for various groups of age and skill, available to the city's population. Its CanSkate 3-5 program offers weekly beginner lessons for children aged 3–5. The Brossard FSC also administers the Skate Canada program to skaters aged 5 and above in group lessons, semi-private lessons, private lessons, and offers specialized development opportunities and free extra ice-time for more advanced skaters.[24] Finally, every few months, Brossard coordinates a series of tests for its more advanced skaters to have certain skills assessed by certified judges and therefore be able to move-up levels in order to learn and practice more advanced skills.
Brossard FSC is very famous for its annual high-quality Ice Show, which attracts many sponsors and enough spectators to hold four representations of the show each year. This event occurs at the end of the winter season, and is the biggest event of the FSC. All skaters are invited to participate. This grand celebration allows young skaters to show their talent dressed in magnificent costumes designed just for them. The routines are choreographed by the club's Skate Canada certified coaches, to music that fits into a chosen theme. All of this is performed to an elaborate light show with spectacular decor. The 43rd edition of this showcase will be held in April 2014.[25]
One of the club's most famous skaters is Sébastien Britten, he was "the 1995 Canadian national champion. He represented Canada at the 1994 Winter Olympics, where he placed 10th. In 1998, he beat several Olympic and World medallists to win the 1998 World Professional Figure Skating Championships held in Jaca, Spain. Following his retirement from competitive skating [in 1997], he began working as a coach and choreographer".[26]
Brossard fields teams in Quebec'sLittle League Baseball system at various age levels. It hosted the 2004 Canadian Little League Baseball Tournament atMarie Victorin Park.
City Leagues includes:
The mayor of the City of Brossard isDoreen Assaad. There are 10 city councillors in theBrossard City Council.
| Years in office | Mayor | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958–1967 | Georges-Henri Brossard | — | |
| 1967–1978 | Léon Gravel | Équipe Populaire de Brossard | |
| 1978–1982 | Alphonse Lepage | Équipe Populaire de Brossard | |
| 1982–1983 | Claude Chevrier | Équipe Populaire de Brossard | |
| 1983–1990 | Georgette Lepage | Équipe Populaire de Brossard | |
| 1990–2001 | Paul Leduc | Équipe Populaire de Brossard | |
| January 1, 2002 - December 31, 2005 | Nicole Carrier (Brossard borough president in Longueuil)[29] | Parti Municipal Rive Sud | |
| 2006–2009 | Jean-Marc Pelletier | Brossard Democracy | |
| 2009–2017 | Paul Leduc | Priority Brossard | |
| 2017–Present | Doreen Assaad | Brossard Ensemble | |
| District number | Sections | Councillor |
|---|---|---|
| District 1 | B,C | Christian Gaudette |
| District 2 | B,A | Tina Del Vecchio |
| District 3 | A,B | Stéphanie Quintal |
| District 4 | P,V | Patrick Langlois |
| District 5 | T,S,P | Claudio Benedetti |
| District 6 | S | Sophie Allard |
| District 7 | R | Antoine Assaf |
| District 8 | I,O,R | Xixi Lee |
| District 9 | J,L,N,X,Y | Michelle Jarnam Hui |
| District 10 | M,N | Daniel Lucier |
The city of Brossard is located in the federal riding ofBrossard—Saint-Lambert, and itsMember of Parliament isAlexandra Mendès of theLiberal Party of Canada. In the past three elections, the Liberals have carried the riding by wide margins.
In provincial politics, Brossard forms part of theLa Pinière riding and itsMember of the National Assembly is Gaetan Barrette of theQuebec Liberal Party. The La Pinière riding is heavily Liberal in provincial elections, with their candidates obtaining wide margins against the other major provincial parties. In 2017,Laporte riding was extended and now cover the north-eastern part of the territory.
Brossard is serviced by Autoroutes10 (Autoroute des Cantons-de-l'Est),15,20 (Autoroute Jean-Lesage), and30 (Autoroute de l'Acier), as well as Routes132 and134 (Taschereau Boulevard). Autoroute 30 runs along the west side of Brossard. Along the Saint Lawrence River on the east side of the city, Autoroutes 15 and 20overlap withRoute 132; 15 to the south and 20 to the north. At the Champlain Bridge interchange, Autoroutes 15 and 20 overlap 10 and feed into theChamplain Bridge, which crosses over into Montreal. Autoroute 10 also meets with Route 134 at theTaschereau Interchange which runs north south through the heart of Brossard.
Other important roads includeTaschereau Boulevard, Rome Boulevard, Milan Boulevard, Matte Boulevard, Pelletier Boulevard, Lapinière Boulevard (known asVictoria Avenue in Saint-Lambert and Greenfield Park), San Francisco-Tisserand-Stravinski Avenues loop, Panama Avenue — Auteuil Avenue, Provencher Boulevard and Chemin des Prairies.
TheRéseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL) serves much of Brossard's territory as well as the rest of theSouth Shore.Terminus Brossard-Panama and Brossard-Chevrier Park and Ride incentive parking lots are two of RTL's heavily used bus terminals located in Brossard. From both of these terminals there is a regular bus toTerminus Centre-Ville (Bonaventure Metro Station.)
Brossard is served by threeRéseau express métropolitain stations;Panama,Du Quartier andBrossard, thus replacing the A-10busway on July 31, 2023.[31]
TheCommission scolaire Marie-Victorin operates French-language public schools.
Secondary:
Primary:
TheRiverside School Board operates English public schools.
Primary schools:
Previously theSouth Shore Protestant Regional School Board operated Protestant public schools in Brossard.[32][33]
Adjacent Municipal Subdivisions | |
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
