Living · Family duel · Montreal's Sud-Ouest or Verdun and on Nuns' Island · October 13, 2026
Two neighbouring areas seen with children: schools, parks, commutes, and the compromise that decides between Montreal's Sud-Ouest and Verdun and on Nuns' Island.
Montreal's Sud-Ouest or Verdun and on Nuns' Island for a family, side by side. Montreal's Sud-Ouest: The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal and the English Montreal School Board; the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) is in Griffintown. Griffintown: density, construction, few trees and schools, and new condos that resell slowly against the supply. Verdun and on Nuns' Island: The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys and the Lester B. Verdun has become expensive: plexes and plex condos cost what a sought-after neighbourhood costs, and parking is hard near Wellington. For those who want downtown on foot with a new condo and services (Griffintown), or a plex and a restaurant street by the canal (Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy), or an affordable house near a metro station (Ville-Émard, Côte-Saint-Paul). Verdun is for those who want the river, a lively shopping street and the metro, in a plex or a condo in a plex, and accept paying the price of a neighbourhood that became sought-after.
Montreal's Sud-Ouest or Verdun and on Nuns' Island 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.
| Montreal's Sud-Ouest | Verdun and on Nuns' Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal and the English Montreal School Board; the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) is in Griffintown. | The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys and the Lester B. |
| Parks | The Lachine Canal, with its bike path and riverside parks, is the borough's leisure axis; Parc Angrignon, to the west, is one of the island's large parks; Atwater Market is one of Montreal's public markets. | The riverfront is the main draw: Verdun beach, the Natatorium, riverside parks and a bike path; Parc Angrignon is next door. |
| Commutes | The orange line serves the borough at Lionel-Groulx (transfer to the green line), Place-Saint-Henri and Charlevoix (Pointe-Saint-Charles), then the green line at Monk, Jolicoeur and Verdun westward. | The green line serves Verdun at Verdun, De l'Église and LaSalle; Nuns' Island is served by the Île-des-Sœurs REM station (South Shore branch, opened July 31, 2023) and by buses. |
| The market in 2026 | In the APCIQ's breakdown, the sector includes Verdun (excluding Nuns' Island). | Verdun is counted by the APCIQ within the Sud-Ouest sector: condo $508,500 (+3 %, 48 days), house $1,050,000 (+11 %, 31 days); on the ground, a renovated plex near Wellington is one of the island's most contested products. |
| For which family | For those who want downtown on foot with a new condo and services (Griffintown), or a plex and a restaurant street by the canal (Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy), or an affordable house near a metro station (Ville-Émard, Côte-Saint-Paul). | Verdun is for those who want the river, a lively shopping street and the metro, in a plex or a condo in a plex, and accept paying the price of a neighbourhood that became sought-after. |
Montreal's Sud-Ouest: For those who want downtown on foot with a new condo and services (Griffintown), or a plex and a restaurant street by the canal (Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy), or an affordable house near a metro station (Ville-Émard, Côte-Saint-Paul). Verdun and on Nuns' Island: Verdun is for those who want the river, a lively shopping street and the metro, in a plex or a condo in a plex, and accept paying the price of a neighbourhood that became sought-after.
The compromise that most often decides between the two, seen with children. On one side, griffintown: density, construction, few trees and schools, and new condos that resell slowly against the supply. On the other, verdun has become expensive: plexes and plex condos cost what a sought-after neighbourhood costs, and parking is hard near Wellington. The family that accepts one of the two more easily has found its neighbourhood. The full family portrait of each is in Living in Montreal's Sud-Ouest with a family and Living in Verdun and on Nuns' Island with a family; the general duel, all profiles together, is in Montreal's Sud-Ouest or Verdun and on Nuns' Island: the pros and cons.
For those who want downtown on foot with a new condo and services (Griffintown), or a plex and a restaurant street by the canal (Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy), or an affordable house near a metro station (Ville-Émard, Côte-Saint-Paul). Verdun is for those who want the river, a lively shopping street and the metro, in a plex or a condo in a plex, and accept paying the price of a neighbourhood that became sought-after. The area whose compromise bothers you least is the right one.
The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal and the English Montreal School Board; the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) is in Griffintown. The borough falls under the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys and the Lester B. No page replaces checking the school catchment of the exact address.
The orange line serves the borough at Lionel-Groulx (transfer to the green line), Place-Saint-Henri and Charlevoix (Pointe-Saint-Charles), then the green line at Monk, Jolicoeur and Verdun westward. The green line serves Verdun at Verdun, De l'Église and LaSalle; Nuns' Island is served by the Île-des-Sœurs REM station (South Shore branch, opened July 31, 2023) and by buses. Do both commutes once, on a Tuesday morning, before deciding.
Written by the Loaa & Manseur team from our Living in Montreal's Sud-Ouest and Living in Verdun and on Nuns' Island 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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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.