RESO > The District

The District

THE SUD-OUEST

RESO�s activities cover Montreal�s Sud-Ouest borough, namely, Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy, Pointe Saint-Charles, Ville-Emard, Cote Saint-Paul and Griffintown.

A BRIEF PORTRAIT OF THE SUD-OUEST

In 2001, the population of the Sud-Ouest borough was 66,474. By 2006, it had risen to 69,604, an increase of 4.7%.

Representation from Every Age Group

In 2001:

0- to 19-year-olds made up 22.5% of the population.
20- to 34-year-olds, 23.4%.
35- to 49-year-olds, 24.9%.
50- to 65-year-olds, 15.4%.
Over 65, 14%.

Family Composition

In 2001:

Single-parent families made up 28.9% of households (compared to 20.8% in Montreal).
Couples with children made up 35.8% of households; couples without children, 35.3%.
53% of families had one child, 31.8% had two children and 14.9% three or more children.

A Population with Modest Income

In 2000, in the Sud-Ouest:

53% of households had an annual income of less than $30,000 (42% in Montreal).
38.1% of households had an annual income of $30,000 to $79,999 (47.1% in Montreal).
8.9% of households had an income of $80,000 or more (16.3% in Montreal).

In 2001, in the Sud-Ouest, men�s average annual income was $25,872 (compared to $33,820 in Montreal) and women�s, $18,961.

In 2003, the Sud-Ouest�s labour force participation rate was 59.8% (62% in Montreal). Unemployed people made up 11.4% of the Sud-Ouest�s population (9.2% in Montreal). Moreover, 20.8% of adults and children received income-security benefits.

An Educational Level That Remains Poor

In the Sud-Ouest, in 2001:

20.6% of the population 20 years of age and over had less than a 9th grade education (14.7% in Montreal).
31.2% of the population had a 9th- to 13th- grade education (25.5% in Montreal).
8.2% had a vocational training diploma (8.1% in Montreal).
19% of the population had a college-level education (21.3% in Montreal).
21% of the population had a university-level education (30.3% in Montreal).

A Population with Diverse Origins

In 2001, immigrants made up 20.1% of the Sud-Ouest�s population (29.6% in Montreal).

On the linguistic front, in 2001:

33% were unilingual francophones (29% in Montreal).
10% were unilingual anglophones (11.6% in Montreal).
55% spoke English and French (57% in Montreal).

People whose mother tongue was French made up 63% of the population, while those whose mother tongue was English made up 16.2%. Following these were Italian (3.3%), Spanish (3%), Chinese (1.7%), Bengali (1.5%), Arabic (1.2%) and Vietnamese (1%).

A Majority of Tenants

In 2001, in the Sud-Ouest, homeowners represented 26.5%�of the population (33.8% in Montreal), and renters 75.3% (64.2% in Montreal).

In the Sud-Ouest, there were 2,117 single-family properties and 2,378 condominiums.
The rental housing stock consisted of 3,606 public or subsidized dwellings (in 1998) and 3,789 non-profit private dwellings (in 2000).

Some Statistics on the Economy and Employment

After stabilizing its economy and employment in the 1990s, the Sud-Ouest has experienced accelerated development over the past few years, as shown by:

The reopening of the Lachine Canal.
The expansion and influx of business.
The spillover of downtown activities and the new economy to the Sud-Ouest.
Multiple social economy projects.
Real estate projects.
Commercial revitalization.
Employment growth that is likely to be sustained.

As elsewhere in Quebec, the Sud-Ouest made great strides in terms of employment. A portrait of the economic situation following the Plan de d�veloppement �conomique du Sud-Ouest 2006-2010 shows, among other things, that in all sectors:

Employment in the Sud-Ouest rose from 25,594 jobs in 1996 to 32,683 in 2003, a 27.7% increase.
Average growth was 4% a year in the Sud-Ouest, compared to 2.7% in Montreal.

Progress was especially marked in the following sectors:

Services to individuals and businesses, including construction, retailing, financial services, education and health
The new economy (high-value-added services), including the film, video, music and recording industries; information technology; design; architecture; and management and communication consultancies.

In the manufacturing sector, employment dropped 21% � though to put the figure in context, it should be noted that manufacturing jobs overall in Quebec have dropped 13% since early 2003. Moreover, certain industrial sectors have been especially buoyant in terms of employment, notably, paper, cardboard and wood; printing; and processing of mineral products (metal and glass).

Other data on the Sud-Ouest�s economy and employment are available in the Plan de d�veloppement �conomique du Sud-Ouest 2006-2010, which will be published shortly.