Bizard Island's spicy history

There aren't many diamonds around Montreal but in 1824 a New York geologist described the Montreal kimberlite deposits as "a modification of grewacke." So when 10 tiny diamonds were found in Bizard Island on March 1969 there was much excitement.

De Beers quickly said that there was no hope of finding anything more significant there. And yet for years after the announcement, the place buzzed with the possibilities of diamond wealth. (source: Montreal Star March 22, 1969)

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In February 1975

According to Real Estate veteran Don Kirkup, wealthy Arab oil sheiks had been planning a billion dollar purchase of Bizard Island, putting up half the money for a major development. Quebec was more open than Ontario to foreign land purchases, where a land trasnfer tax applied.(source Le Jour 17 February 1975)

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1975-76

Ottawa developer Robert Campeau owned 2,000 acres, about 60 percent of the island's developable land. He vowed to turn the negligibly populated isle into a booming metropolis of 90,000 within 30 years.

Andre Ranger, Town Manager said the 5,650 acre island would be "a new city, a natural city, a city where 30 percent of the territory is reserved for green space."

The growth to 90,000 would be massive. In 1967 BI had a population of 1,500 and by 1967 it had 2,573. The BI population in 1976 was still a mere 4,022 souls.

Campeau started by building 175 homes, ranging between $32-64,000, using similar styles as in Ste. Rose Laval.

Other developers included Kaufman and Borad - a US based company which built 90 houses. Others were built by JB Construction, Albert Paiment, Les Industres Colette and Cote Construction.

A mere 15 miles of new roads had been built between 1966 and 1976 but new bridges were planned to Laval and Kirkland. The extension of Highway 40-was expected to be built within 5 years, handy to get to the new Mirabel Airport. Expropriation notices were already given out for this work to go ahead. The Jacques Bizard bridge was the only bridge at the time, it was a 4 lane span built in 1967. There was also a ferry to Laval Sur le Lac.

The two golf courses, Elridge and Royal Montreal were built around 1956 and they take up about 20 percent of the island.

By 2000 10,000 jobs were expected on the island. It was recommended that 135 acres be reserved for schools: 18 elementary schools of 5 acres each and five high schools of 10 acres each. (Montreal Matin 28 May 1975)