Our District
Peter-McGill is an electoral district and vibrant community, named after Montreal’s second Mayor, located in the western part of downtown in the Ville-Marie Borough.
While many assume this area is all commercial buildings, businesses and tourists, Peter-McGill is made up of several residential neighbourhoods including the Shaughnessy Village, contains 3 higher education institutions, as well as various cultural institutions and public spaces that host community events, and gather people of all ages and backgrounds.
Map of Peter-McGill
The Peter-McGill district is bounded by University Ave. to the East, by the Westmount City limits to the West, by Camillien-Houde Street to the north, (which separates the Côtes-des-Neiges and Mount Royal cemeteries and Mount Royal Park), and by the Ville-Marie highway and Notre-Dame St. to the South.
Peter-McGill includes the neighbourhoods of Shaughnessy Village, the Golden Square Mile, Quartier des Grands Jardins, Quartier des Gares, Victor-Hugo/Lucien L’Allier and parts of Griffintown.
Located on the unceded traditional territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka, the Peter-McGill district also contains important gathering spaces for Indigenous peoples, including Cabot Square, where Indigenous Peoples Day takes place every year.
Population & Demographics
- Population: 35,789
- 62% immigrated from outside Canada
- Average household income is 8,000$ lower than the Ville-Marie average
- Generally the population living north of Sherbrooke is wealthier than those living to the south
Youth
With McGill, Concordia and LaSalle College all squarely in the Peter-McGill neighbourhood, and Dawson College right on our border, youth under 25 make up over 22% of the Peter-McGill population, compared to 16% in the rest of the Ville-Marie borough.
Families
The Peter-McGill district is home to over 3,000 families, with a growing number of services and activities for parents and their children. Family life in Peter-McGill is growing and changing rapidly.
Seniors
4,930 people over the age of 65 live in Peter-McGill, with almost 41% of them experiencing issues of isolation, and 13% living below the poverty line.
Newcomers
The Peter-McGill neighbourhood has over 12,000 immigrants, with almost half of them having arrived within the last 5 years. 28% of the district population speaks a language other than English or French at home, most often Mandarin, Farsi and Arabic.
Indigenous Peoples
While the Peter-McGill Community Council does not directly address issues faced by Indigenous communities, we recognize that the district is on unceded Kanien’kehá:ka territory, containing numerous spaces that are meaningful to various Indigenous communities. Several of our member organisations are dedicated to supporting Indigenous peoples and working towards reconciliation. Please visit their websites for more information.
Who Was Peter-McGill?
Peter McGill (1789 – 1860), was a businessman and politician originally from Scotland, who served as mayor of Montreal from 1840 to 1842. He is not to be confused with James McGill, the founder of McGill University.
A more comprehensive biography of Peter McGill is available on the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.