Chomedey, a district in the southwest of Laval, Quebec, has a rich history that dates back to the early 1960s. Originally a separate municipality, Chomedey was born on April 1, 1961, when the towns of Renaud, L'Abord-à-Plouffe, and the city of Saint-Martin merged. The city hall of Chomedey became the city hall for all of Laval, marking the beginning of a new era.
The merger was initiated by the administration of L'Abord à Plouffe, which passed a resolution on August 10, 1960, expressing its desire to merge the three municipalities and the city of Laval-des-Rapides under the name "Cité de Laval". However, Laval-des-Rapides withdrew from the merger project just eight days later. Despite some hesitation, a referendum held in Renaud resulted in a victory for the "fusionist" on January 16, 1961. The birth of the new city was celebrated with civic festivities from October 8 to 15, 1961.
Chomedey quickly stood out as a modern city with rapid residential and industrial development. Between 1962 and 1964, the city welcomed a new industry every month for two consecutive years. By 1963, the city was considering annexing its two neighbors, the towns of Sainte-Dorothée and Fabreville. In 1964, the new city hall was inaugurated, designed by architects Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold, and Sise.
Chomedey is bordered on the south by the Rivière des Prairies, on the east by Laval-des-Rapides, Duvernay, and Vimont, on the north by Sainte-Rose, on the northwest by Fabreville, and on the west by Sainte-Dorothée. The district is also bordered by Autoroute 13 to the West, Autoroute 440 to the North, Des Laurentides Boulevard, and Autoroute 15 to the East.
Since the 1960s, Chomedey has been the most multicultural neighborhood in Laval. It is home to a diverse population, including Jews, Christians, Muslims, Portuguese, Lebanese, Algerians, Moroccans, Syrians, Egyptians, Haitians, Italians, Armenians, and the largest Greek community in Quebec. The district also houses the city's Anglophone and allophone minorities.
Chomedey's main thoroughfares include Curé-Labelle Blvd, Chomedey Blvd, Saint-Martin Blvd, Souvenir Rd, Notre-Dame Blvd, Samson Blvd, 100th Ave, Daniel-Johnson Blvd, Le Carrefour Blvd, Le Corbusier Blvd, Armand-Frappier Blvd, Cartier Blvd, Lévesque Blvd, Promenade Des Îles, Cléroux Blvd, Jean-Béraud Ave, Pierre-Péladeau Ave, Bois-de-Boulogne Ave, Avenir Blvd, Industriel Blvd, McNamara St, Terry-Fox Ave, Louis-Payette Ave, and Perron Blvd. Traffic congestion is a common issue due to the rapid densification of the neighborhood and the development of the last fields and forested areas. However, the creation of reserved bus lanes, an expanded bike path network, and the extension of the Metro into Laval are all helping Chomedians to favor more sustainable transit alternatives.
Chomedey is home to several historical sites and points of interest. The Cosmodome, located on the Laurentian Autoroute, is the only museum in Canada dedicated solely to the space sciences and houses one of two lunar rocks on display in Canada. The Armand Frappier Museum, located on Blvd. des Prairies, is a biotechnology museum named after Dr. Armand Frappier, who was instrumental in the fight against tuberculosis in Canada. The Lachapelle bridge, located on Blvd. Labelle, connects Montreal and Laval and dates back to 1890. The Centre du Sablon, located on Ch. du Sablon, offers a wide range of activities aimed at different age groups. The Saint-Martin parish church Église Saint-Martin, built in 1782, was the first church on île Jésus located at a crossroads inland.
