Saint-Laurent at a glance

Crime and safety

Police recorded 1,163 located criminal acts in Saint-Laurent over the most recent full year of data, against 1,136 in the comparable earlier period, a change of 2.4%. That puts the trend as stable rather than moving in any clear direction.

Measured against the housing stock, the rate reaches 25.3, close to the city average, where the figure for all boroughs is 24.1. Ranked from the lowest rate upward, the borough places 17 among the 19 boroughs covered. The dominant category is vehicle thefts, accounting for 37.0% of recorded acts — a pattern shaped by the borough's wide streets, surface parking and industrial land.

Break-ins total 209, for a rate of 4.5 relative to the number of dwellings, below the city average and below the citywide 5.8. That trend is stable. Keep in mind that 15.2% of criminal acts published by the SPVM across the city carry no location, so borough totals understate the real count somewhat.

Housing stock

The assessment roll lists 45,965 dwellings in Saint-Laurent. The median construction year is 1978, which makes this a largely post-war borough: suburban-era apartment blocks and detached housing outnumber the older fabric found closer to downtown. Only 24.1% of dwellings predate the post-war building wave.

Condominium units make up 27.9% of the stock, a meaningful share for buyers looking at apartment ownership rather than a plex or a house. Newer construction generally means fewer surprises on structure and wiring than in Montréal's pre-war districts, but inspection still matters for roofs, windows and balconies on buildings now decades old.

Parks and outdoor life

The City's inventory, which covers parks and large parks only and leaves out private, institutional and school green space, counts 89 of them in Saint-Laurent. Together they occupy 4.2% of the borough's land, compared with 10.1% across all boroughs. Park area relative to the number of dwellings works out to 39,368.0, against 46,596.0 citywide, so the borough rates below the city average on that measure.

The largest green space is Parc Marcel-Laurin. For families, the equipment count matters more than total hectares: 74 children's playgrounds, 56 outdoor sports facilities and 38 outdoor recreation facilities, part of a broader inventory of 278 outdoor recreational, sports and cultural sites.

What rents look like in the region

CMHC publishes average rents for the Montréal census metropolitan area, not borough by borough, so the 2025 survey figures below describe the wider region rather than Saint-Laurent specifically.

Bachelor units averaged $1,005, smaller apartments $1,131, mid-sized apartments $1,346, and the largest units $1,625. Use these as a reference point when reading listings: asking rents for a vacant apartment typically run above the survey average, which includes long-occupied units.

Practical notes for newcomers

Because vehicle thefts dominate the local crime picture, parking habits are worth thinking about. A garage or a lit, overlooked spot, a steering lock or a tracker, and an insurer who knows what you drive will do more here than extra door hardware. Break-ins run below the city average, so standard precautions — solid locks, a timer on a lamp, a neighbour who collects your mail — are proportionate.

If you are buying, get mortgage pre-approval before you shop, and budget the welcome tax and borough-level fees alongside the purchase price. Ask for the condominium's contingency fund statement and recent minutes when the unit is part of a syndicate; with a median construction year of 1978, many buildings are now facing their initial round of major envelope work.

Renters should compare an asking rent with the regional averages from the 2025 survey, request the rent register entry for the unit, and confirm what heating and parking cost on top of the lease.