Industry calls. That’s the spirit of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. This Montreal neighbourhood’s story is one of transformation. It started as a suburban village in 1863.
Industry was attracted to Hochelaga. Hudon and Sainte-Anne cotton mills arrived. Then came the Quebec Montreal Ottawa and Occidental Railway in 1876. Hochelaga was growing fast.
But some landowners to the east weren’t happy. They wanted their own village. So they separated and founded Maisonneuve. This new village grew even faster. It became a major industrial hub. People called it the Pittsburgh of Canada.
Factories boomed here in the early 20th century. They made shoes textiles and food. There were also tanneries slaughterhouses tobacco plants and shipyards. Immigrants and rural folks flocked to Hochelaga-Maisonneuve for work.
However Maisonneuve got into debt. In 1918 it was forced to join Montreal. This created the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve we know today.
But this is not the end of the story. Major transport projects arrived in 1967. Highway 25 construction meant some 2000 buildings had to go. Factories relocated to Toronto. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve faced hard times.
The 1980s saw factories closing at an alarming rate. Poverty and welfare became common. Crime increased and the area got a bad reputation. Prostitution was a problem for years. Even the Hells Angels had their clubhouse here during the Quebec Biker War.
One event in 1995 became notorious. A drug dealer was killed by a bomb. An 11-year-old boy Daniel Desrochers died from shrapnel wounds.
But times are changing again. Since 2010 Hochelaga-Maisonneuve has seen gentrification. Students and professionals are moving in. New condos are being built. You can see the change on Promenade Ontario. The Place Simon Valois has also been revitalized.
Yet problems remain. Poverty prostitution and drug dealing still exist. Homelessness is an issue too. A tent city appeared in 2020. Though cleared by police the problem persists.
Despite its challenges Hochelaga-Maisonneuve offers much. There is the Olympic Park with its stadium tower and Biodome. Parc Maisonneuve offers green space. The Marché Maisonneuve is one of Montreal’s biggest markets.
Promenade Ontario is a lively shopping street. Place Simon Valois offers new shops and attractions. The Hochelaga and Maisonneuve libraries provide knowledge and resources.
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is also a cultural hub. It is featured in Quebecois songs films and documentaries. Les Cowboys Fringants and Bernard Adamus have sung about it. Michel Jetté and others have made films here.
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve’s story is complex. It is a tale of industry decline and renewal. It is a neighbourhood with a past and a future.