Dollard-des-Ormeaux facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dollard-des-Ormeaux
City
Ville de Dollard-des-Ormeaux
Coat of arms
Nicknames:  Dollard, D.D.O.
Motto(s):  Viribus Unitas
Location on Island of Montreal
Dollard-des-Ormeaux Location in Southern Quebec
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Montreal
RCM	None
Founded	1924
Constituted	January 1, 2006
Area
• Total	15.09 km2 (5.83 sq mi)
• Land	14.98 km2 (5.78 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	48,403
• Density	3,230.2/km2 (8,366/sq mi)
• Pop 2016-2021	1.0%
• Dwellings	17,763
Demonym(s)	Dollardian
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	H9A, H9B, H9G
Area code(s)	514 and 438
Highways	No major routes

Dollard-des-Ormeaux (often called D.D.O. or just Dollard) is a city in Quebec, Canada. It's a suburb of Montreal and is mostly English-speaking. You can find it on the Island of Montreal. The city is named after Adam Dollard des Ormeaux, a French hero from history.

Dollard-des-Ormeaux joined the city of Montreal in 2002. It became part of a larger area called Dollard-Des Ormeaux–Roxboro. But in 2006, people voted to make it a separate city again.

About the Name Dollard-des-Ormeaux

The way the city's name is spelled has changed a few times. At first, it was Dollard-des-Ormeaux with hyphens. In 1960, it became Dollard des Ormeaux with no hyphens. Then, in 1969, the hyphens came back.

In 2001, a group called the Commission de toponymie du Québec said the name should be Dollard-Des Ormeaux. This spelling had one hyphen and a space, with "Des Ormeaux" capitalized. But most people didn't use this new spelling. In 2022, the Commission changed it back to Dollard-des-Ormeaux, which is how it was spelled since 1924.

History of Dollard-des-Ormeaux

How Dollard-des-Ormeaux Started

In 1714, the land that is now Dollard-des-Ormeaux was part of a larger church area. Later, in 1845, it became part of the Ste-Geneviève church area.

On July 29, 1924, Dollard-des-Ormeaux became its own separate town. This happened because the people didn't want to pay a new tax for road repairs. Hormidas Meloche was the first mayor.

The town got its name from Adam Dollard des Ormeaux. He was a French hero who died in 1660 fighting the Iroquois at a place called Long Sault.

Growing into a City

Dollard-des-Ormeaux officially became a city on February 4, 1960. In the early 1960s, it was a "bedroom community." This means most people lived there but worked in a bigger city nearby.

The population grew very quickly. In 1960, only a few hundred people lived there. But within 10 years, over 15,000 people called it home!

One of the first main streets, Anselme-Lavigne Street, is named after a farmer. He sold his land to a building company. Many streets in the Sunnydale area, like "Sunshine," are named after the family who owned that company.

The city's official logo has two vertical lines and three circles. The lines stand for Des Sources and St-Jean Boulevards, which are main shopping streets. The circles represent different parts of the city: St-Jean, Westpark, and Sunnybrooke. Together, the lines and circles cleverly spell out "ddo."

The city hall was first in a house. In 1964, it moved to an old French-Canadian farmhouse built in 1806.

Around Canada's 100th birthday, the city decided to build "Centennial Park." It was planned to have a lake and hills. This park also helped with stormwater drainage. The project had some problems and cost more than expected, but it was finished in the 1970s.

In 1970, Dollard-des-Ormeaux became part of the Montreal Urban Community, a bigger government group.

Dollard-des-Ormeaux Today

On January 1, 2002, Dollard-des-Ormeaux joined the city of Montreal. It became part of the Dollard-Des Ormeaux–Roxboro area. But after a vote in 2004, it became an independent city again on January 1, 2006.

Today, Dollard-des-Ormeaux is the most populated city on the Island of Montreal outside of Montreal itself. While it doesn't have a Montreal Metro station, it will soon have a new light rail system called the Réseau express métropolitain. There will be a station where Highway 40 and Des Sources Boulevard meet.

People in Dollard-des-Ormeaux (Demographics)

Dollard-des-Ormeaux is known as a bilingual city. This means both English and French are commonly used there.

In 2021, the city had a population of 48,403 people. This was a small decrease from 2016. The city has about 3,230 people per square kilometer.

Parks and Fun Places

Dollard-des-Ormeaux has many great green spaces. There's usually a park within one kilometer of every home! Some popular parks include Centennial Park, Westminster Park, and Terry Fox Park. Edward Janiszewski Park is named after the mayor who served the longest.

The city also has the Dollard Civic Centre. This building holds the city hall, the public library, and places for ice skating and swimming.

Sports in Dollard-des-Ormeaux

Dollard-des-Ormeaux is home to many youth sports teams. Kids can play hockey, soccer, baseball, swimming, and ringette. In 2013, the city received money from a program called Kraft Le Hockey Continue. This was to recognize the hard work of Lance Taylor Townend, who helped manage and coach the Dollard Hockey Association.

How the City is Run (Administration)

The Dollard-des-Ormeaux City Hall

The city is led by a mayor and eight district council members. Each council member represents a different part of the city.

1. Laurence Parent (District 1)
2. Errol Johnson (District 2)
3. Mickey Max Guttman (District 3)
4. Tanya Toledano (District 4)
5. Morris Vesely (District 5)
6. Valérie Assouline (District 6)
7. Ryan Brownstein (District 7)
8. Anastasia Assimakopoulos (District 8)

Since Dollard-des-Ormeaux became a city in 1960, there have been seven mayors. Edward Janiszewski was mayor for 33 years (1984–2017). This makes him the longest-serving mayor in the city's history! During his time, the city's famous library was built, and many additions were made to the civic centre. When he left office, the city had a lot of extra money saved up. The current mayor is Alex Bottausci.

City Patrol Service

A Dollard-des-Ormeaux Municipal Patrol Vehicle

The city has a special Municipal Patrol service, started in 1980. Their job is to help keep people safe and make sure city rules are followed. They also help prevent crime and respond to emergencies.

List of Mayors

Here is a list of the mayors of Dollard-des-Ormeaux:

Schools in Dollard-des-Ormeaux (Education)

There are many schools in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. The Lester B. Pearson School Board runs four English public schools: Springdale Elementary, Sunshine Academy, Westpark Elementary, and Wilder Penfield Elementary. Some students also go to Beechwood Elementary and Kingsdale Academy in a nearby area.

For French public schools, the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys is in charge. These schools include École primaire Dollard-Des Ormeaux, École primaire du Bois-de-Liesse, École primaire Saint-Luc, and École secondaire des Sources.

There are also private schools like West Island College, Emmanuel Christian School, and Hebrew Foundation School.

Famous People from Dollard-des-Ormeaux

Many notable people have lived in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, including:

• Goldie Hershon (1941–2020), an activist
• Devon Levi (born 2001), an ice hockey goalie
• Jaclyn Linetsky (1986–2003), an actress
• Yaniv Perets (born 2000), an ice hockey goalie
• Adrien Plavsic (born 1970), a former NHL ice hockey player
• P.J. Stock (born 1975), a sports broadcaster and former ice hockey player
• Gerry Weiner (born 1933), a politician and former mayor of Dollard-des-Ormeaux

See also

In Spanish: Dollard-Des-Ormeaux para niños