The town was merged with the city of Montreal in 2002, and became part of the borough of Dollard-Des Ormeaux–Roxboro. When residents were later offered the option, they chose to leave the city of Montreal, and the town was reinstated as a separate entity in 2006.
Name
The orthography of the city's name has been adjusted periodically. Originally written as Dollard-des-Ormeaux, it became Dollard des Ormeaux (no hyphens) in 1960, and reverted again to the hyphenated spelling in 1969.[6]
In 2001, the official Commission de toponymie du Québec ruled that the correct orthography of the city's name is Dollard-Des Ormeaux (one hyphen, one space, all title caps) due to the patronymicparticle.[2] However, this was not widely accepted, and is rarely used in practice. In particular, as of 2021[update], the city's own website did not use this way of writing the city's name.[7] In 2022, the Commission officially reverted to the spelling Dollard-des-Ormeaux, which had been in use since 1924.[8]
On July 29, 1924, Dollard-des-Ormeaux detached from the Parish of Ste-Geneviève and became a separate municipality in response to a tax imposed by the Parish road improvements on Gouin Boulevard. Its first mayor was Hormidas Meloche.
The City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux obtained a new charter and was incorporated as a city on February 4, 1960.[2]
Dollard-des-Ormeaux was originally a bedroom community in the early 1960s. The population was barely a few hundred in 1960, and within 10 years, exceeded 15,000.[10]
One of its original main axes, Anselme-Lavigne Street in the Westpark neighbourhood, is named for a farmer who sold his land to the Belcourt Construction Company. Many of the streets in the Sunnydale neighbourhood, including "Sunshine" and "Hyman", are named for members in the prominent Zunenshine family who owned Belcourt. The community is a mixture of residential and commercial properties. Des Sources and St-Jean Boulevards are its main commercial arteries, and are represented by the two vertical lines in the city's official logo. The three circles in the logo, from left to right, respectively represent the St-Jean Sector, the Westpark Sector and the Sunnybrooke Sector. The three circles and two vertical lines in the logo represent the city's geography and artfully spell out "ddo".
The Town Hall was located in a house on Des Sources Boulevard in the early 1960s, and was moved to an 1806 French-Canadian farmhouse in 1964.
When Canada's centennial anniversary was due to occur, the town decided to create a "Centennial Park," featuring a man-made lake and hills. It was suggested to use this project for a reservoir for stormwater drainage, as the city was faced with the need to expand surface drainage pipes. The project was announced September 8, 1966.[11] However the project ran into problems and became a local scandal and a major drain on resources. It was finally completed in the 1970s, albeit overdue and overbudget.[citation needed]
Dollard-des-Ormeaux was included in the Montreal Urban Community when that government was created in 1970.
Albeit not served by the Montreal Metro, the city will be served by the Réseau express métropolitain light rail system with a station at the juncture of Highway 40 and Des Sources Boulevard.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Dollard-Des Ormeaux had a population of 48,403 living in 17,383 of its 17,763 total private dwellings, a change of -1% from its 2016 population of 48,899. With a land area of 14.98 km2 (5.78 sq mi), it had a population density of 3,231.2/km2 (8,368.7/sq mi) in 2021.[14]
Canada census – Dollard-Des Ormeaux community profile
Dollard is known for its many well-attended green spaces, providing a park within one kilometre of each home.[19] Notable parks include Centennial Park, Westminster Park, Frederick Wilson (Fredmir) Park, Baffin Park, and Terry Fox Park. Edward Janiszewski Park was named after the longest-reigning mayor of the city.
Dollard-des-Ormeaux is home to the Dollard Civic Centre, which serves as city hall, the public library, and houses ice skating and swimming facilities.
Sports
Dollard is home to many juvenile sports teams, including hockey, soccer, baseball, swimming, and ringette. In 2013, the city received $20 000 from Kraft Le Hockey Continue program in recognition of the efforts of Lance Taylor Townend, an administrator and coach with the Dollard Hockey Association.[20]
Since the city's incorporation in 1960, there have been seven mayors. They are Alfred Labrosse (1960–1963), Frederick T. Wilson (1963–1968), Gerald Dephoure (1968–1978), Jean Cournoyer (1978–1982), Gerry Weiner (1982–1984), Edward Janiszewski (1984–2017) and Alex Bottausci (2017–present).
Edward Janiszewski's 33 years as Mayor of DDO makes him the longest-serving Mayor in the city's history, and the second longest-serving Mayor in the history of Canada, behind Hazel McCallion. He was first elected to the city council in 1978 before becoming mayor in 1984. During his tenure, he also oversaw the construction of Dollard-des-Ormeaux's famous library and many of the additions which were made to the civic centre. At the time of his defeat in 2017, the city was left with a surplus of $15 million.[22]
Municipal Patrol
Municipal Patrol Vehicle
Established in 1980, a municipal patrol service was initially created to enhance public safety in the city and to enforce parking violations after the merger of police departments on the Island of Montreal. The service is responsible for public safety, municipal by-law enforcement, crime prevention, emergency measures, and community relations.
The Lester B. Pearson School Board operates four Anglophone public schools in the area. Schools operated by the LBPSB include Springdale Elementary School, Sunshine Academy, Westpark Elementary School, and Wilder Penfield Elementary School. Beechwood Elementary and Kingsdale Academy in Pierrefonds-Roxboro also serve portions of Dollard-des-Ormeaux.[23]
The Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys operates Francophone public schools, but were previously operated by the Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys until June 15, 2020. The change was a result of a law passed by the Quebec government that changed the school board system from denominational to linguistic.[24] Francophone public schools in the area includes École primaire Dollard-Des Ormeaux, the École primaire du Bois-de-Liesse, the École primaire Saint-Luc, and the École secondaire des Sources.
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