Île Bizard

For the Montreal borough of L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève, seeL'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève.

Île Bizard

Borough Hall of Île-Bizard
Île Bizard within the city of Montreal
Geography
Location	Lake of Two Mountains Rivière des Prairies
Coordinates	45°29′N73°54′W
Archipelago	Hochelaga Archipelago
Area	22.78 km2(8.80 sq mi)
Administration
Canada
Province	Quebec
City	Montreal
Borough	L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève
Demographics
Population	14,713 (2016)
Pop. density	645.87/km2(1672.8/sq mi)

Île Bizardis an island near theIsland of Montrealin theHochelaga Archipelagoregion. It is one of the three populated islands within the city of Montreal, along with the Island of Montreal andNuns' Island(Île des Soeurs). The island is served by buses 207 and 407.

History

Historically namedÎle Bonaventure,by 1723 it had come to be named Île Bizard, afterJacques Bizard,to whom it was conceded as afiefin 1678, part of theseigneurial system of New France.The island was also used by the settlers ofNew France,as a way to get timber intoMontrealfrom the river usingtimber rafting.

Modern

It was formerly a separate municipality named St Raphael de L'Île-Bizard, but wasforcefully mergedwith of the city ofMontreal,and made into the borough ofL'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève. A referendum todemerge on June 20, 2004was held. Although more than 50% voted to demerge, it was unsuccessful as this represented fewer than the required 35% of the electorate.

Geography

TheJacques Bizard Bridgeconnects it across theRivière des PrairieswithSainte-Genevièveon theIsland of Montreal.TheseasonalLaval-sur-le-Lac Île-Bizard Ferryprovides a connection toLaval-sur-le-LaconÎle Jésus(Laval). This ferry does not operate in the winter.

Land use

Bois-de-l'Île-Bizard Nature Parkis a 201-hectare (500 acre) park which contains marsh lands and several kilometres (miles) of nature trails, accessible year round.There is also a small beach at Pointe-aux-Carrières that faces theLac des Deux-Montagnes.TheRoyal Montreal Golf Club,the Golf Saint-Raphael and Elm Ridge Country Club are located on the island.

Land has been reserved on the island for the future extension ofAutoroute 440from Laval to connect withAutoroute 40at Chemin Ste-Marie. This will avoid having to drive on theAutoroute 40to get toAutoroute 13andAutoroute 15and provide another beltway around the city in addition toAutoroute 30on the South Shore. Many people who live on the island are against it, as Île Bizard is a calm and serene country environment and they feel like it would cause more traffic and pollution to the fresh air.

However, the City of Montreal has purchased considerable amounts of land and protects them as nature parks, which include swamps, beaches, forests and other ecosystems; these are open to the public.

Sports

The island has two notable sports complexes: 'Parc Eugène-Dostie' and 'Complexe Sportif Saint-Raphaël'. The PGA Golf Tour comes to l'Île Bizard's Royal Montreal golf course every few years. A notable native isVincent Lecavalier,a formerNHLplayer who was raised on the island. FormerNHLplayerGuy Carbonneaualso lives on the island, as didGuy Lafleur.CFLplayerMarc-Antoine Dequoy,adefensive backwith theMontreal Alouettes,was born and raised there.

Former NHL player and 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic bronze medalistMarc-André Gragnaniwas also born and raised on the island.

See also

• List of bridges spanning the Rivière des Prairies
• List of crossings of the Rivière des Prairies
• List of islands of Quebec

External links

• Official pageon theVille de Montréalwebsite[1].