Living · Family duel · Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac or Fabreville · October 13, 2026
Two neighbouring areas seen with children: schools, parks, commutes, and the compromise that decides between Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac and Fabreville.
Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac or Fabreville for a family, side by side. Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac: The sector falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Laval and the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, with schools in both networks. The Laval of wide-open spaces, not of services: everything is by car, and shops are far from residential streets. Fabreville: The sector falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Laval and the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board. Functional, with no old village or shopping street: shops are on the boulevards and you get around by car. For families who want a large lot, a river and the commuter train, and accept the car for everything else; for those looking for a waterfront property or the prestige of Laval-sur-le-Lac. For first-time buyers and families who want a house with a lot in Laval under $600,000, near the highways and the river; for investors who renovate bungalows.
Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac or Fabreville 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.
| Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac | Fabreville | |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | The sector falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Laval and the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, with schools in both networks. | The sector falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Laval and the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board. |
| Parks | The banks of the Rivière des Prairies, Parc des Cageux and the river accesses, the Bois de l'Équerre at the Sainte-Rose limit and the Laval-sur-le-Lac golf course (private) make up the sector's nature. | The Rivière des Mille Îles banks and the Bois de l'Équerre, at the Sainte-Rose limit, are the large spaces; neighbourhood parks, the arena and the pool complete the offer. |
| Commutes | The exo Saint-Jérôme line stops at Sainte-Dorothée and Île-Bigras stations, with downtown Montreal without a transfer; STL buses reach the Montmorency terminus and the Carrefour Laval. | Fabreville has no station of its own: Sainte-Rose station (exo Saint-Jérôme line) is at the eastern limit, and STL buses reach the Montmorency terminus. |
| The market in 2026 | Sainte-Dorothée is Laval's most expensive sector for houses: a $775,500 median in Q2 2026 (+4 % year over year, +31 % in five years), 48 days on market, the longest of the six sectors for single-family homes, and 111 active listings. | Fabreville is Laval's cheapest and fastest house market: a $547,500 median in Q2 2026 (flat year over year, +36 % in five years), 24 days on market, 137 active listings, and a seller's market in every range (1.0 to 4.9 months of inventory). |
| For which family | For families who want a large lot, a river and the commuter train, and accept the car for everything else; for those looking for a waterfront property or the prestige of Laval-sur-le-Lac. | For first-time buyers and families who want a house with a lot in Laval under $600,000, near the highways and the river; for investors who renovate bungalows. |
Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac: For families who want a large lot, a river and the commuter train, and accept the car for everything else; for those looking for a waterfront property or the prestige of Laval-sur-le-Lac. Fabreville: For first-time buyers and families who want a house with a lot in Laval under $600,000, near the highways and the river; for investors who renovate bungalows.
The compromise that most often decides between the two, seen with children. On one side, the Laval of wide-open spaces, not of services: everything is by car, and shops are far from residential streets. On the other, functional, with no old village or shopping street: shops are on the boulevards and you get around by car. The family that accepts one of the two more easily has found its neighbourhood. The full family portrait of each is in Living in Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac with a family and Living in Fabreville with a family; the general duel, all profiles together, is in Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac or Fabreville: the pros and cons.
For families who want a large lot, a river and the commuter train, and accept the car for everything else; for those looking for a waterfront property or the prestige of Laval-sur-le-Lac. For first-time buyers and families who want a house with a lot in Laval under $600,000, near the highways and the river; for investors who renovate bungalows. The area whose compromise bothers you least is the right one.
The sector falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Laval and the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, with schools in both networks. The sector falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Laval and the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board. No page replaces checking the school catchment of the exact address.
The exo Saint-Jérôme line stops at Sainte-Dorothée and Île-Bigras stations, with downtown Montreal without a transfer; STL buses reach the Montmorency terminus and the Carrefour Laval. Fabreville has no station of its own: Sainte-Rose station (exo Saint-Jérôme line) is at the eastern limit, and STL buses reach the Montmorency terminus. Do both commutes once, on a Tuesday morning, before deciding.
Written by the Loaa & Manseur team from our Living in Sainte-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest and Laval-sur-le-Lac and Living in Fabreville 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.
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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.