Dorval
title: "Dorval" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["dorval", "cities-and-towns-in-quebec", "quebec-populated-places-on-the-saint-lawrence-river", "1667-establishments-in-the-french-colonial-empire", "populated-places-established-in-1667", "island-of-montreal-municipalities", "bilingual-cities-and-towns-in-quebec"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorval" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Dorval |
| official_name | City of Dorval |
| fr | |
| settlement_type | City |
| image_skyline | File:Dorval - vue aérienne 20170816-01.jpg |
| image_alt | Aerial view of Dorval |
| image_caption | Aerial view of Dorval |
| image_map | Carte localisation Île de Montréal - Dorval.png |
| map_caption | Location on the Island of Montreal. |
| (Outlined areas indicate demerged municipalities). | |
| pushpin_map | Canada Southern Quebec |
| pushpin_mapsize | 250 |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location in southern Quebec |
| coordinates | |
| coordinates_footnotes | |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | Canada |
| subdivision_type1 | Province |
| subdivision_name1 | Quebec |
| subdivision_type2 | Region |
| subdivision_name2 | Montréal |
| subdivision_type3 | RCM |
| subdivision_name3 | none |
| established_title | Founded |
| established_date | 1667 |
| established_title1 | Village |
| established_date1 | 1892 |
| established_title2 | Town |
| established_date2 | 1903 |
| established_title3 | City |
| established_date3 | 1956 |
| established_title4 | Merged into Dorval–L'Île-Dorval |
| established_date4 | 1 January 2002 |
| established_title5 | Reconstituted |
| established_date5 | 1 January 2006 |
| government_footnotes | |
| leader_title | Mayor |
| leader_name | Marc Doret |
| leader_title1 | Federal riding |
| leader_name1 | Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle |
| leader_title2 | Prov. riding |
| leader_name2 | Marquette |
| area_footnotes | |
| area_total_km2 | 29.08 |
| area_land_km2 | 20.91 |
| population_footnotes | |
| population_total | 19,302 |
| population_as_of | 2021 |
| population_density_km2 | 923.0 |
| population_blank1_title | Pop 2016-2021 |
| population_blank1 | 1.7% |
| population_blank2_title | Dwellings |
| population_blank2 | 9,058 |
| timezone | EST |
| utc_offset | −5 |
| timezone_DST | EDT |
| utc_offset_DST | −4 |
| postal_code_type | Postal code(s) |
| postal_code | H4S, H4Y, H9P, H9S |
| area_codes | 514 and 438 |
| blank_name | Highways |
| | blank_info | ** ** | | website | | ::
| name = Dorval | official_name = City of Dorval fr | native_name = | settlement_type = City | image_skyline = File:Dorval - vue aérienne 20170816-01.jpg | image_alt = Aerial view of Dorval | image_caption = Aerial view of Dorval | image_flag = | image_shield = | nickname = | motto = | image_map = Carte localisation Île de Montréal - Dorval.png | map_caption = Location on the Island of Montreal. (Outlined areas indicate demerged municipalities). | pushpin_map = Canada Southern Quebec | pushpin_mapsize = 250 | pushpin_map_caption = Location in southern Quebec | coordinates = | coor_pinpoint = | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Canada | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = Quebec | subdivision_type2 = Region | subdivision_name2 = Montréal | subdivision_type3 = RCM | subdivision_name3 = none | established_title = Founded | established_date = 1667 | established_title1 = Village | established_date1 = 1892 | established_title2 = Town | established_date2 = 1903 | established_title3 = City | established_date3 = 1956 | established_title4 = Merged into Dorval–L'Île-Dorval | established_date4 = 1 January 2002 | established_title5 = Reconstituted | established_date5 = 1 January 2006 | seat_type = | seat = | parts_type = | parts = | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Marc Doret | leader_title1 = Federal riding | leader_name1 = Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle | leader_title2 = Prov. riding | leader_name2 = Marquette | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 29.08 | area_land_km2 = 20.91 | area_water_km2 = | area_water_percent = | elevation_m = | population_footnotes = | population_total = 19,302 | population_as_of = 2021 | population_density_km2 = 923.0 | population_blank1_title = Pop 2016-2021 | population_blank1 = 1.7% | population_blank2_title = Dwellings | population_blank2 = 9,058 | population_note = | timezone = EST | utc_offset = −5 | timezone_DST = EDT | utc_offset_DST = −4 | postal_code_type = Postal code(s) | postal_code = H4S, H4Y, H9P, H9S | area_codes = 514 and 438 | blank_name = Highways
| blank_info = ** ** | website = | footnotes =
Dorval (; ) is an on-island suburban city on the island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. In 2016, the Canadian Census indicated that the population increased by 4.2% to 18,980. Although the city has the largest surface area in Montréal’s west side, it is among the least densely populated. Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport constitutes about 60% of the city's land; consequently, all of Dorval's population is concentrated in the southern part of the city.
Dorval is the oldest city in the west side of Montréal, having been founded in 1667, and one of the oldest in Canada and North America.
History
The history of Dorval dates back more than 350 years to 1665 when Sulpician priests established a mission on the outskirts of Ville-Marie, a French settlement which later became known as Montreal. Dorval was originally named Gentilly. It was later renamed La Présentation-de-la-Vierge-Marie. In 1691, the domain of La Présentation, originally owned by Pierre Le Gardeur de Repentigny, was acquired by Jean-Baptiste Bouchard dit d'Orval. "d'Orval" (French for "of Orval") was added to Bouchard's name by his father Claude in reference his birthplace Orval in Montigny-Lengrain, France. It was incorporated as a village in 1892, a town in 1903, and a city in 1956 (in French it was termed a cité, an Old French term from which the English legal term "city" originates).
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Dorval_(Île_de_Montréal)_2006-01-22.JPG" caption="English-speaking]], in search of a summer refuge in proximity to their downtown residence and place of work. Access to Dorval from [[Montreal]] was also facilitated by the extension of streetcar service to Dorval's eastern city limits in the interwar period."] ::
After the Second World War many middle-class families migrated to Dorval from the city of Montreal and from other parts of Canada. This migration was made possible by the widening of highway 20 and by the large-scale construction of new dwellings. This new housing consisted mostly of single family homes with some townhouses and low-rise apartment buildings, built on lands previously used for agriculture and recreational activities. The post-war period also saw the construction of Dorval Gardens shopping centre in 1954, one of Greater Montreal's first mall-style shopping centres. Today the shopping centre remains the city's principal centre of retail trade.
The island named Dorval Island, settled in 1860 and located less than one kilometre offshore from Dorval, constitutes the separate city of L'Île-Dorval despite being a summer cottage community with only five permanent residents as of the Canada 2011 Census. The island is connected to the city of Dorval by a private ferry service.
On 1 January 2002, as part of the 2002–2006 municipal reorganization of Montreal, Dorval was merged into the city of Montreal, being combined with L'Île-Dorval to form the Dorval–L'Île-Dorval borough of Montreal. After a change of government and a 2004 referendum, Dorval was reconstituted as a city on 1 January 2006. Although Dorval had the legal status of cité prior to the merger, the reconstituted city has the status of ville (see Types of municipalities in Quebec). Nevertheless, the municipal government refers to itself as the "Cité de Dorval".
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Dorval had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 20.91 km2, it had a population density of in 2021. |location = Dorval |2021_population=19,302 | 2021_pop_delta=+1.7 | 2021_land_area=20.91 | 2021_pop_density=923 |2021_median_age=45.2 | 2021_median_age_m=44.0 | 2021_median_age_f=46.4 |2021_total_pvt_dwell=9,058 |2021_occ_pvt_dwell=8,716 |2021_mean_hh_income=77,500 |2021_geocode=2021A00052466087 | 2021_access_date=2023-10-19 |2016_population=18,980 | 2016_pop_delta=+4.2 | 2016_land_area=20.91 | 2016_pop_density=907.7 |2016_median_age=44.7 | 2016_median_age_m=43.2 | 2016_median_age_f=46.3 |2016_total_pvt_dwell=8,818 | 2016_mean_hh_income=64,689 | 2016_access_date=6 January 2022
|title = Historical populations of Dorval |type = Canada |align = none |cols = 3 |percentages = |footnote = |1901|481 |1911|1005 |1921|1466 |1931|2052 |1941|2048 |1951|5293 |1956|14055 |1961|18592 |1966|20905 |1971|20469 |1976|19131 |1981|17722 |1986|17354 |1991|17249 |1996|17572 |2001|17706 |2006|18088 |2011|18208 |2016|18980 |2021|19302
::data[format=table title="Visible Minorities ([[Canada 2021 Census|2021]])"]
| Ethnicity | Population | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Not a visible minority | 13,700 | 72% |
| Visible minorities | 5.320 | 28% |
| :: |
Languages
According to the Office québécois de la langue française, Dorval has been officially recognized as a bilingual municipality since 2005-11-02.
::data[format=table title="Home Language ([[Canada 2021 Census|2021]])"]
| Language | Population | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| English | 10,390 | 54% |
| French | 4,740 | 25% |
| Other | 2,430 | 13% |
| :: |
::data[format=table title="Mother Tongue ([[Canada 2021 Census|2021]])"]
| Language | Population | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| English | 7,890 | 41% |
| French | 5,125 | 27% |
| Other | 4,765 | 25% |
| :: |
Economy
Air Inuit and La Senza have their headquarters in Dorval. Bombardier Inc. houses the headquarters of its Bombardier Aerospace division in Dorval."Aerospace Directory ." Bombardier Inc. Retrieved 4 December 2010. "400 Côte-Vertu Road West Dorval, Québec Canada H4S 1Y9." Address in French : "400, chemin de la Côte-Vertu Ouest Dorval (Québec)."
Previously Inter-Canadien had its headquarters in Dorval.
Air Canada Centre, the headquarters of Air Canada, are located on the grounds of Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, near Dorval.
Local government
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Dorval_QC.JPG" caption="Dorval City Hall"] ::
List of former mayors:
- Désiré Girouard (1892–1893)
- James B. Allan (1893–1894)
- Benjamin Décarie (1894–1895)
- Hartland St. Clair MacDougall (1895)
- Charles Décarie (1895–1896)
- Robert FitzGibbon (1896–1897)
- Joseph Dosithée Legault Deslauriés (1897–1899)
- William de Montmolin Marler (1899–1901)
- Jean-Baptiste Meloche (1901–1903)
- Harry Markland Molson (1903–1905)
- Amable Lallemand (1905–1907)
- Anthony Haig Sims (1907–1909)
- Benjamin Décarie (1909–1911)
- William A. C. Hamilton (1911–1913)
- Joseph Leroux (1913–1915)
- Charles-C. Décarie (1915–1923)
- Harvey Thompson (1923–1925)
- Avila Décarie (1925–1927)
- E.-Raphaël Chadillon (1927–1933)
- Arthur Cecil Comber (1933–1937, 1941–1943)
- J. Arthur Lajoie (1937–1939)
- Ernest H. Décarie (1939–1941)
- Joseph Ovila Adrien Valois (1943–1947)
- Stanley Mason Elliot (1947–1948)
- Ovila Cardinal (1948–1955)
- Robert John Pratt (1955–1964)
- Sarto Desnoyers (1964–1982)
- Peter Blyth Yeomans (1982–2002)
- Edgar Rouleau (2002–2021)
- Marc Doret (2021–present)
Infrastructure
Aéroports de Montréal, the Greater Montreal airport authority, has its headquarters in Leigh-Capreol Place (French: place Leigh-Capreol) in Dorval.
Trudeau Airport
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/YUL.U.S._Departures.Sector.Control.Tower.jpg" caption="Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport"] ::
Main article: Montréal–Trudeau International Airport
Most of Montreal's principal airport, Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (previously known as Dorval Airport), is in Dorval. Originally a military airfield used mainly to refuel new fighters and bombers being flown to Great Britain during the Second World War, Trudeau Airport today serves over 18 million passengers annually.
Education
The Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys operates Francophone public schools, but were previously operated by the Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys until 15 June 2020. The change was a result of a law passed by the Quebec government that changed the school board system from denominational to linguistic.
Schools include:
- Centre d'éducation des adultes Jeanne-Sauvé (adult school)
- École secondaire Dorval-Jean-XXIII (secondary school)
- École primaire Gentilly (primary school)
The Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) operates Anglophone public schools.
- Dorval Elementary School, formerly known as Courtland Park Elementary School until 2006.
The Kativik School Board (now known as Kativik Ilisarniliriniq in English) formerly operated the Kativik Senior Education Centre in Dorval. In the district's early history, senior high school students had to attend classes there to get a high school diploma. During its history, most students dropped out of the program rather than completing it; the centre was a long distance from Nunavik, where the students came from.
Notable residents
- Jason Demers (born 1988), NHL ice hockey player
References
References
- "Répertoire des municipalités: Dorval". Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
- [https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20121006085921/http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/FederalRidingsHistory/hfer.asp?Include=Y&Language=E&rid=1035&Search=Det Parliament of Canada Federal Riding History: NOTRE-DAME-DE-GRÂCE--LACHINE (Quebec)]
- (9 February 2022). "Dorval, Ville (V) Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". Government of Canada - Statistics Canada.
- "History of Dorval".
- Laframboise, Kalina. (9 January 2023). "Montreal municipalities take action to keep bilingual status under Quebec's Bill 96 {{!}} Globalnews.ca".
- (2022-12-19). "Organismes reconnus offrant des services dans une langue autre que le français".
- "[http://www.airinuit.com/en/contact.aspx Contact us] {{webarchive. link. (-30 September 2009." [[Air Inuit]]. Retrieved 8 October 2009.)
- link. (13 March 2013." [[La Senza]]. Retrieved 4 December 2010. "La Senza Corporation Attn: Online Store Customer Service 1608, Boulevard St-Régis Dorval, Quebec, Canada H9P 1H6.")
- "World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. 25–31 March 1998. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1998/1998%20-%200741.html?search=%22Canadian%20Airlines%22 p. 75]. "795 Stuart Graham Boulevard North, Dorval, H4Y1E4, Quebec, Canada"
- "[http://www.aircanada.com/en/about/investor/contacts.html Investors Contacts] {{webarchive. link. (4 February 2016." Air Canada. Retrieved 4 December 2010. "Air Canada Centre, 7373 Côte-Vertu Blvd. West Saint-Laurent, Quebec H4S 1Z3 .")
- "[http://saintlaurent.ville.montreal.qc.ca/Fr/Intro/Cartes/Region/ab11e5b4-ccb1-430e-9a7c-598d63c7480b.gif ab11e5b4-ccb1-430e-9a7c-598d63c7480b.gif] {{webarchive. link. (6 July 2011." City of Montreal. Retrieved 4 December 2010.)
- "[http://www.aircanada.com/en/about/career/about_faq.html FAQ’s]." Air Canada. Retrieved 4 December 2010. "Our headquarters are located at 7373 Cote Vertu Ouest, Dorval, Quebec."
- "Répertoire des entités géopolitiques: Dorval (ville) 24.6.1892 - 1.1.2002 ● 1.1.2006 - ...". Institut généalogique Drouin.
- "[http://www.admtl.com/Passengers/ContactUs.aspx Contact us]." [[Aéroports de Montréal]]. Retrieved 4 December 2010. "Aéroports de Montréal 800 Leigh-Capreol Place Suite 1000 Dorval, Quebec H4Y 0A5." [http://www.admtl.com/Passagers/NousJoindre.aspx Address in French]: "800, place Leigh-Capreol Bureau 1000 Dorval (Québec) H4Y 0A5."
- "[http://www.ville.dorval.qc.ca/en/downloads/pdf/Carte_detaillee_de_Dorval.pdf Detailed Map of Dorval] {{Webarchive. link. (17 February 2012." Dorval. Retrieved 4 November 2010.)
- "Bonjour Québec.com: Montréal-Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau International Airport (YUL)".
- "Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys".
- "Main entrance".
- MacLeod, Roderick and Mary Anne Poutanen. ''[[A Meeting of the People: School Boards and Protestant Communities in Quebec, 1801-1998]]''. [[McGill-Queen's Press]], 2004. {{ISBN
- {{toponymie. 388463
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