Boisbriand occupies a special position on the North Shore. Close enough to Montreal for commuting to remain realistic, developed enough to offer complete services on its own territory, and quiet enough that residential streets still look like residential streets.
If you are considering moving to Boisbriand, here is what you need to know concretely: the schools, the daycares, the activities, the shopping, getting around. And, at the end, the less pleasant but necessary questions.
Schools: one school service centre to know
Boisbriand residents fall under the Centre de services scolaire des Mille-Îles (CSSMI), formerly the Commission scolaire de la Seigneurie-des-Mille-Îles. The CSSMI territory notably covers Blainville, Bois-des-Filion, Lorraine, Rosemère, Sainte-Thérèse and Saint-Eustache, in addition to Boisbriand.
An important point for a buyer: the assigned elementary school depends on the exact address, not on the neighbourhood in the broad sense. Two houses a few streets apart can be served by different schools. Before making an offer, validate the school assignment of the precise address with the CSSMI. It is a five-minute check that avoids a surprise in August.
On the private side, Collège Boisbriand is established in the Faubourg sector. At the post-secondary level, Cégep Lionel-Groulx, in Sainte-Thérèse, is a few minutes away by car.
For daycares: the area has several, in CPEs as well as home daycares, but as everywhere in Quebec, spots are scarce. Register on La Place 0-5 as soon as your moving plans take shape, not after.
Sports and outdoors: the area’s real advantage
This is probably Boisbriand’s strongest point for a family.
The Centre d’excellence Sports Rousseau, on boulevard de la Grande-Allée, is much more than a neighbourhood arena. Opened in 2011, it seats about 3,100 spectators and is home to the Armada de Blainville-Boisbriand of the QMJHL. It also houses ice surfaces, a specialized shop and sports physiotherapy services. For a family with kids in hockey, it is a concrete argument.
Parc du Domaine Vert, in Mirabel, is less than ten minutes away. You can hike, bike, snowshoe and cross-country ski there, and it also offers an outdoor pool, day camps and an aerial adventure course.
Boisbriand also offers a network of municipal parks, bike paths connected to the Route verte, and quick access to the ski centres and golf courses of the Lower Laurentians.
Shopping and services: everything within ten minutes
Faubourg Boisbriand anchors the area’s retail offering. This open-air centre brings together restaurants, boutiques, grocery stores and big-box stores, in a pedestrian-friendly layout more pleasant than a classic shopping mall.
Within a comparable radius, you also find:
- Costco Boisbriand
- Décathlon and Home Depot
- Place Rosemère, a few minutes away
- Nearby grocery stores, pharmacies and clinics
Concretely, a family settled in Boisbriand does nearly all of its weekly shopping without ever taking the highway.
Getting around: car, bus, train
By car. Boisbriand is crossed by Highway 15 (Autoroute des Laurentides) and bordered by Highway 640. Exit 23 serves the southern residential sector. To downtown Montreal, allow 35 to 55 minutes depending on the time, with the usual slowdowns at the Médéric-Martin bridge in the morning rush.
By train. Let’s be clear: Boisbriand has no commuter train station. The closest stations are Sainte-Thérèse and Rosemère, on exo line 12 (Saint-Jérôme). From Sainte-Thérèse, the trip to Lucien-L’Allier station takes about an hour. Both stations offer park-and-ride lots.
By bus. Exo’s Laurentides sector serves the city, notably with routes 240 and 241 (Boisbriand Nord and Boisbriand Sud), connected to the Sainte-Thérèse station hub. Local service is functional, but is designed to complement the car rather than replace it. A family without a car would find it difficult.
What you should also know before settling in
An honest guide also mentions the friction points.
- Car dependence is real. As in most suburbs of the north crown, two vehicles per household is the norm rather than the exception.
- Rush-hour traffic. Highway 15 toward Montreal slows down early in the morning. Test your commute on a Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. before deciding, not on a Sunday afternoon.
- Daycare spots. See above: it is the main irritant reported by young families settling in the area.
- The sector matters a lot. Boisbriand is not homogeneous. The industrial and commercial north, the area around the Faubourg and the residential streets further south offer very different atmospheres. Visit at several times of day.
If you are still looking for a residential project in the area
Once the city is chosen, the house remains. The Cité du Boisé Dion project, developed by Habitations PM on rue Marie-Desjardins, brings three formats together on one site: semi-detached homes, townhouses and single-family homes, all delivered turnkey with exterior landscaping included.
It is also a good way to test the area for real: virtual tours of the bungalow and cottage models are available online, and the detailed plans can be viewed before you even travel.
Discover Cité du Boisé Dion · See all our projects · Contact us
