New street name is an historical homage

There’s a new street name in Saint-Laurent. A 200 metre stretch between Rue de la Sorbonne and Rue de Londres in the Norvick area will now be called rue de la Wartime Housing, after the Feb. 22 Montreal municipal council.

The name was chosen in collaboration with Montreal’s heritage division and pays homage to the area’s role in World War 2 history. During the Second World War, two major aviation companies, Canadian Vickers and the Noordyun Aviation Company were established in the area.

To accommodate the boom of workers, 400 homes were constructed by the promoter, Wartime Housing Ltd., in 1942. Norvick is one of 163 areas constructed in Canada by the company during the Second World War.

The street is not the only historical nod in the area. The name of the quartier was inspired by the two aviation companies and became the Norvick Sector. In August 2015, the parallel stretch of road was named Norvick St.

Naming the street gives the residents an idea of the history of the area, its role in Canadian aerospace manufacturing during war time, and the impact on housing development in Norvick in the 1940s, according to city documents.