Immigrant and English-speaking growth in Laval — north of Montreal

Above Canada’s second largest city, Montreal, sits Laval, also an island-bound city, that has become Quebec’s fastest growing English-speaking community, and home to many of its immigrants.

Laval’s anglophones (as English speakers are called in Quebec) grew by 35% from 1996 to 2006 – compared to only 12% growth for its French speakers.

“An increasing number [of] new immigrants moved directly to Laval without first living in Montreal,” said Jean-Pierre Corbeil, chief specialist of language statistics at Statistics Canada. (Montreal Gazette)

And in 2009, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities named Laval as a top destination for immigrants in Canada.

While knowledge of French is a big enabler in being accepted by Quebec as an immigrant to Canada, inevitably newcomers may be more comfortable in English-speaking milieus, and are evidently finding a good home in Laval.