Côte Saint-Luc

Farm in Côte Saint-Luc in 1941

Incorporated in 1903, Côte Saint-Luc grew from a town to a city, in 1958.

Throughout the 1920s, the town grew quickly and accepted many immigrant populations leaving Montreal, notably German-Jewish, Scottish, and British families, plus their descendants. By 1935, the population reached 5,000. Railway development and industrial activities were relocated to the north. An example of this is an old farmhouse, near the intersection of Westminster and Côte Saint-Luc, which today it is a strip mall.

After many years of debate and disagreement, Côte Saint-Luc agreed to the extension of Cavendish Blvd. in Côte Saint-Luc, most likely through an indirect route, to Cavendish Blvd. in the borough of Saint-Laurent, over the Canadian Pacific railyards.

Côte Saint-Luc (and all of Montreal Island's other suburbs) was forced to merge with the city of Montreal on January 1, 2002, but was given the opportunity to demerge from the city in 2004. It was merged with its neighbouring suburbs of Hampstead and Montreal West to form the borough of Côte-Saint-Luc—Hampstead—Montréal-Ouest. In a referendum held on June 20, 2004 more than 87 percent of Côte Saint-Luc residents voted to demerge and Côte Saint-Luc was re-established as a separate city on January 1, 2006.

Côte Saint-Luc is served by a unique Emergency Medical Services (EMS) first responder system. The only volunteer first responder service on the island of Montreal, the Emergency Medical Services respond to more than 3,000 calls for help every year. Advanced care and transportation to local hospitals is provided by Urgences-santé. In 2008–2009, the Montreal Fire Department implemented an island-wide first responder system. It was set to replace the Côte Saint-Luc EMS; however, the city fought to keep their system. A private member's bill was passed in the National Assembly of Quebec to exclude Côte Saint-Luc from the Montreal Fire Department.

Côte Saint-Luc also has a full-time Public Security Department that enforces municipal by-laws and in 2006 launched the Volunteer Citizens on Patrol (vCOP) program that allows residents to help deter crime.

The city's Eleanor London Côte Saint-Luc Public Library was named in honour of Eleanor London, the first librarian hired to set up whatever vision of a library she wanted. She continued in the capacity of chief librarian for 36 years. The Eleanor London Côte Saint-Luc Library is one of few libraries in North America that is open every day of the year.

The Cavendish Mall, now known as Quartier Cavendish, used to be a focal point with famous shopping areas such as Steinberg's, Eaton's and Discus. In recent years, part of the mall has been replaced with single family homes, townhouses and apartment buildings.

Côte Saint-Luc offers both a Cat and Dog Committee.[5] Mike Cohen is the City Councillor Responsible for Animal Protection and Diane Liebling chairs this committee. The goal is to reduce the number of homeless and community animals.

Along with Hampstead and Montreal West, Côte Saint-Luc forms an enclave within Montreal. Côte Saint-Luc also has two exclaves sandwiched between Hampstead and the city of Montreal. The larger one contains the residential development North of Hampstead and Decarie Square shopping centre, while the smaller one consists of just fifteen residential buildings on Macdonald Ave.

The Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys (CSMB) operates two Francophone primary schools—École de la Mosaïque and École des Amis-du-Monde—in Côte Saint-Luc.[8] The English Montreal School Board operates a French immersion school—Merton School, John Grant and Mountainview High Schools and the Marymount Adult Centre. There are a number of private schools in the city, including JPPS-Bialik, Hebrew Academy, Maimonides and Yeshiva Yavne.

Former residents of Côte Saint-Luc include politician and lawyer Irwin Cotler, actor William Shatner, and poet Irving Layton. Sidney Shoham, founding Rabbi of Beth Zion Congregation, spent more than 60 years as a resident and leader of the Côte Saint-Luc Jewish community. Other residents included Montreal Expos all-star catcher Gary Carter. Comedy screenwriter Ricky Blitt and older brother Barry Blitt, a magazine illustrator, were raised there. Author Gordon Korman grew up in Côte Saint-Luc, as did popular science author and cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker.

• List of former boroughs
• Montreal Merger
• Municipal reorganization in Quebec
• List of enclaves

• Official website