Living · Family duel · Saint-Laurent or Ahuntsic-Cartierville · October 13, 2026
Two neighbouring areas seen with children: schools, parks, commutes, and the compromise that decides between Saint-Laurent and Ahuntsic-Cartierville.
Saint-Laurent or Ahuntsic-Cartierville for a family, side by side. Saint-Laurent: The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys and the English Montreal School Board; the Cégep de Saint-Laurent and Vanier College are both on the territory. Vast and contrasted: industrial sectors, wide boulevards, few neighbourhood shopping streets; you get around by car. Ahuntsic-Cartierville: The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal and the English Montreal School Board; Collège Ahuntsic and Cégep de Bois-de-Boulogne are in the borough, along with several private colleges. The median house exceeds $900,000: the entry point is the condo, and detached houses are contested. For those who work in the west or at the Technoparc and want the REM or the metro on foot; for families looking for a planned neighbourhood with parks and townhouses (Bois-Franc); for a condo buyer who wants choice and time. For families who want a house with a yard on the island, a river at the end of the street, the metro and quick access to Laval and the highways: Ahuntsic is the compromise between city and suburb.
Saint-Laurent or Ahuntsic-Cartierville for a family: two neighbouring areas, the same questions on both sides. Schools, parks, commutes and the compromise each one asks of a family, taken from our neighbourhood guides and from what families tell us after the visits. The figures are those published by the APCIQ for the second quarter of 2026; nothing is embellished.
| Saint-Laurent | Ahuntsic-Cartierville | |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys and the English Montreal School Board; the Cégep de Saint-Laurent and Vanier College are both on the territory. | The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal and the English Montreal School Board; Collège Ahuntsic and Cégep de Bois-de-Boulogne are in the borough, along with several private colleges. |
| Parks | Parc Marcel-Laurin and its woodland, the Bois-Franc parks with their basins, Parc Beaudet and Parc Noël-Sud are the large spaces; the Saint-Laurent sports complex, the Raymond-Bourque arena and the Bibliothèque du Boisé, awarded for its architecture, are the flagship facilities. | Île-de-la-Visitation park (river, dam, trails) and the Gouin path are the big spaces; Ahuntsic, Nicolas-Viel and Marcelin-Wilson parks complete them; the Claude-Robillard sports complex is one of the city's major sports centres. |
| Commutes | Two orange-line stations, Côte-Vertu (terminus) and Du Collège, serve the centre; the REM stops at Bois-Franc, Du Ruisseau and Montpellier (Deux-Montagnes branch), with downtown a few stations away. | The orange line serves the borough at Henri-Bourassa, Sauvé and Crémazie; the Henri-Bourassa bus terminus connects Laval, and the Ahuntsic exo station (Saint-Jérôme line) serves the centre. |
| The market in 2026 | Saint-Laurent is the island sector where the single-family home rose most year over year in Q2 2026: a $988,750 median, +22 % in a year (but only +12 % in five years), with 148 active listings and 43 days on market; the rise comes from the mix of sales, driven by Bois-Franc and the north, more than from a street-by-street surge. | Ahuntsic-Cartierville is a genuine single-family market (102 active listings in Q2, among the best-supplied on the island): $926,000 median, +7 % year over year, +32 % in five years, at 57 days on market, the longest of the north and east residential neighbourhoods. |
| For which family | For those who work in the west or at the Technoparc and want the REM or the metro on foot; for families looking for a planned neighbourhood with parks and townhouses (Bois-Franc); for a condo buyer who wants choice and time. | For families who want a house with a yard on the island, a river at the end of the street, the metro and quick access to Laval and the highways: Ahuntsic is the compromise between city and suburb. |
Saint-Laurent: For those who work in the west or at the Technoparc and want the REM or the metro on foot; for families looking for a planned neighbourhood with parks and townhouses (Bois-Franc); for a condo buyer who wants choice and time. Ahuntsic-Cartierville: For families who want a house with a yard on the island, a river at the end of the street, the metro and quick access to Laval and the highways: Ahuntsic is the compromise between city and suburb.
The compromise that most often decides between the two, seen with children. On one side, vast and contrasted: industrial sectors, wide boulevards, few neighbourhood shopping streets; you get around by car. On the other, the median house exceeds $900,000: the entry point is the condo, and detached houses are contested. The family that accepts one of the two more easily has found its neighbourhood. The full family portrait of each is in Living in Saint-Laurent (Montreal) with a family and Living in Ahuntsic-Cartierville with a family; the general duel, all profiles together, is in Saint-Laurent or Ahuntsic-Cartierville: the pros and cons.
For those who work in the west or at the Technoparc and want the REM or the metro on foot; for families looking for a planned neighbourhood with parks and townhouses (Bois-Franc); for a condo buyer who wants choice and time. For families who want a house with a yard on the island, a river at the end of the street, the metro and quick access to Laval and the highways: Ahuntsic is the compromise between city and suburb. The area whose compromise bothers you least is the right one.
The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys and the English Montreal School Board; the Cégep de Saint-Laurent and Vanier College are both on the territory. The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal and the English Montreal School Board; Collège Ahuntsic and Cégep de Bois-de-Boulogne are in the borough, along with several private colleges. No page replaces checking the school catchment of the exact address.
Two orange-line stations, Côte-Vertu (terminus) and Du Collège, serve the centre; the REM stops at Bois-Franc, Du Ruisseau and Montpellier (Deux-Montagnes branch), with downtown a few stations away. The orange line serves the borough at Henri-Bourassa, Sauvé and Crémazie; the Henri-Bourassa bus terminus connects Laval, and the Ahuntsic exo station (Saint-Jérôme line) serves the centre. Do both commutes once, on a Tuesday morning, before deciding.
Written by the Loaa & Manseur team from our Living in Saint-Laurent (Montreal) and Living in Ahuntsic-Cartierville guides and from what families tell us after the visits; no figure is added to those published by the APCIQ, and ranking schools is not our trade. The other neighbourhood duels seen with children are in neighbourhood against neighbourhood for a family.
The Loaa & Manseur team, led by Lotfi Manseur and Loaa Al Daow, is the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 of large residential teams according to the official RE/MAX ranking, computed on actual transactions. Its Google profile counts more than 220 reviews with a 4.9 rating. Its offices are at 55 avenue de l'Équinoxe in Brossard, one bridge from the island, and every broker's licence can be checked in the OACIQ public register. Three things to verify yourself before calling us, and to demand of any other broker.
Also available in French: version française de ce guide.
Published September 7, 2026 by the Loaa & Manseur team, the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 according to the official RE/MAX ranking. Tell us about your project.
Équipe no 1 de RE/MAX Platine en 2024 et en 2025, 6e au Québec, 15e au Canada et dans le top 50 mondial au classement officiel RE/MAX. Réponse en moins de 24 heures, sept jours sur sept.