Prior to 2002, there were several sectoral roundtables in the western part of downtown, which included societal coalitions concerned with seniors, youth, babies and toddlers, homelessness and women.  These were forums consisting solely of community organizations and public institutions, with the exception of the coalition on homelessness, where, rather than a geographically determined area, the area of concern consisted only of the CLSC Métro area (which included Westmount, , western downtown, and parts of Milton-Park.)

These roundtables focused on specific subjects, and it was apparent that their limited scope  also limited their ability to act more broadly, concerning the quality of life downtown. Owing to such limitations, the idea of developing a neighbourhood Community Council grewfor quite some time. The Youth Forum, in particular, would constantly see their  large-scale projects stifled by the limitations of both mandate, and resources.

In the spring of 2002, the Montreal Summit brought together various community organizations of the Peter-McGill district,to collectively define the area’s needs and priorities. Due to the fact that very few of the organizations in the district were invited to speak during the summit, those present banded together to make their voices heard and to better coordinate their efforts to take broader action.
A working committee to start the Peter McGill Community Council was formed following the summit and was incorporated in December 2002, holding its founding meeting in June 2003.

Since then, the Council has conducted various activities and has provided a channel for community members to unify their voices on issues of urban planning, social housing, social inclusion, safety, traffic, green spaces, cleanliness and families.