Right face of the Sacré-Coeur-de-Jésus Church in McMasterville in 2019

McMasterville, a picturesque and modern municipality with an industrial past, is in La Vallée-du-Richelieu region of Montérégie, Quebec.

Located on the west bank of the Richelieu River, this municipality has primarily a residential, commercial and institutional vocation. McMasterville provides a beneficial break on the Arts and Flavours Route. The main recreational tourism activities offered are: boating, hiking, biking, etc. Its built heritage reflects several eras.

The main attractions of this municipality are, in particular:

• its restaurants and dining rooms, offering a wide variety of dishes;
• the arts practised by its artists and artisans;
• its international training school at the Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes, where many extracurricular activities are organized;
• its sports and leisure facilities, in particular its parks, many of which are accessible by bike path;
• its offer of recreational tourism activities, in particular nautical activities on the Richelieu River, its public events;
• its commercial area, especially along (or near) Route 116;
• its road infrastructure, in particular Route 116 (along the railway) and Route 223 (Chemin du Richelieu, along the Richelieu River);
• its public transport, including the Via Rail train service, linking Mont-Saint-Hilaire with downtown Montreal.

The city of McMasterville was named the “big winner” in December 2021 as part of the “Du jardin dans ma Ville!” contest. organized by the Corporation des Fleurons du Québec. The McMasterville project involved developing the Boisé du Ruisseau Bernard, a natural environment. The city plans to develop a reception area in the heartwood sector, in particular by planting fruit trees and shrubs. This development of the natural environment will benefit citizens and birds. It will also promote the integration of vegetable plants.

Understand

Life in McMasterville is correlated with neighbouring towns: Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Beloeil, Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu and Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil. This demographic fabric generates an offer of regional recreational and tourist activities, mainly focused on restaurants, pleasure boating on the Richelieu River, cultural activities, artists' and craftsmen's shops, sports activities, leisure activities and basic services to visitors.

History

McMasterville was incorporated in 1917 by separating from Beloeil. This separation follows the decision of Canadian Explosives Limited (formerly known as "Hamilton Powder" until 1910) to initiate the construction of a housing complex for its factory workers. This company was then in full expansion because it supplied the Allied forces during the First World War with explosive material (nitroglycerine) for various products for military use. The toponym McMasterville evokes the first president of the company, Mr. William McMaster. He served as the first president (1910-1924) of Canadian Explosives, which became Canadian Industries Limited (CIL) in 1927. To this day, his portrait decorates the McMasterville Town Council Chamber, highlighting his contribution to the foundation and development of the municipality.

Geography

View of Route 116 in McMasterville, from the coin of rue Bernard-Pilon (Beloeil boundary), in May 2022.

McMasterville is located on the west bank of the Richelieu River, facing Mont Saint-Hilaire and Otterburn Park. The Bernard stream (a tributary of the west bank of the Richelieu River) separates the municipal territory in two.

View of route 223 in McMasterville, along the west bank of the Richelieu river, from the intersection of rue Bernard-Pilon

View from rue Bernard-Pilon separating McMasterville and Beloeil, from the intersection of route 223 to McMasterville.

Get in

By car

• From Montréal (36 km, time: 29 min. Take the Champlain Bridge (east); take Highway 30 (northbound); take Route 116 (eastbound) to McMasterville.
• From Quebec City (223 km, time: 2 hr 23 min). Take Autoroute 20 (westbound) to the Grande-Allée exit in Mont-Saint-Hilaire; take route 116 in Mont-Saint-Hilaire; cross the bridge over the Richelieu River; cross Beloeil and continue to McMasterville.

By train

Gare ferroviaire d'EXO à McMasterville en 2019

• 1 McMasterville railway station (Gare ferroviaire de McMasterville), 399, rue du Purvis Club, McMasterville, ☏ +1 833-255-6396. McMasterville and Beloeil are served by the Montreal-Mont-Saint-Hilaire commuter train station of the Exo network. The AMT train departs from Montreal Central Station. Fares and schedules can be found here. The station is on the Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier road (route 116). (updated May 2022)

Get around

Its principal roads are Route 116 (along the railway) and Route 223 (Chemin du Richelieu, along the Richelieu River).

Do

• 1 Refrigerated outdoor skating rink (Patinoire extérieure réfrigérée), Parc Gilles-Plante, 255, boulevard Constable (Located behind the municipal offices). Covered outdoor skating rink, with open walls. Its concrete surface allows summer activities (e.g., in-line skating, DekHockey l'Échappée) from mid-spring to mid-autumn; and its surface is refrigerated the rest of the year. The main winter activities are public or family hockey, public skating and figure skating. (updated May 2022)
• 2 Outdoor municipal swimming pool (Piscine municipale extérieure), Parc Gilles-Plante, 255, boulevard Constable (Located behind the municipal offices). Open in the summer season. (updated May 2022)
• 3 Roger Dubus Trail (Sentier Roger-Dubus) (access by rue du Purvis-Club or by rue Comtois). This lighted multifunctional path (pedestrian and bicycle) includes rest areas. (updated May 2022)
• 4 Memorial park (Parc commémoratif), 2e avenue (at the intersection of Nobel and 2nd Avenue streets. Access by 2nd avenue). This park has a rest area and access to walking trails. (updated May 2022)

Buy

Specialized foods

• 1 Colectivo Coffee, bakery and smoked products (Colectivo Café, boulangerie et produits fumés), 785, rue Tétreault, ☏ +1 450-464-4646. Bakery offering coffee, bakery, pastry, BBQ and smoked products, and ready-to-eat. (updated May 2022)
• 2 Fromagerie Tradition inc (Fromagerie Tradition inc), 171, boulevard Laurier, ☏ +1 450-446-3176. Cheese factory. (updated May 2022)
• 3 Agri-Food Market The Harvest (Marché agroalimentaire La Récolte), Gilles-Plante Park, in McMasterville, ☏ +1 450-281-1301, recolte@cdcvr.org. Weekly schedule from mid-June to October 2022: Monday at the Maison de la Culture in Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu; Tuesday, at Parc Gilles-Plante in McMasterville; Wednesday at Parc Eulalie Durocher in Beloeil; Thursday at the municipal office of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu; Friday at the Halte du village of Saint-Basile-le-Grand. Seasonal mobile market offering local market garden and niche products in the municipalities of the Richelieu Valley. (updated May 2022)

Eat

Several restaurants or dining rooms in the Montérégie have transformed the mode of meals at the tables into take-out or delivery service. In general, restaurateurs have demonstrated great resilience by updating their website, integrating interactive and automated applications for remote orders, as well as the display of the menu, opening hours, their mode of operation (e.g., by reservation, drive-thru service), required health measures (e.g., vaccination record, mask, distancing), other services (e.g., caterer, shops, accommodation, access for disabled, Wi-Fi, take-out, delivery), contact details and often the history of the restaurant or site.

• 1 Cantine La Fringale c'est Tropical, 100, boulevard Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier, ☏ +1 450-536-1713. Large outdoor terrace with parasols. Speciality: beaver tails (a large, fried dough pastry). (updated May 2022)
• 2 Chip's Poissons et Fruits de Mer, 3 chemin du Richelieu (facing the Richelieu River), ☏ +1 450-813-4078. (updated May 2022)
• 3 Le Piment Szechuan, 791, boulevard Laurier, ☏ +1 450-464-0009. Sichuanese restaurant. (updated May 2022)
• 4 Resto-Bar Fondue Caquelon, 781, boulevard Laurier, ☏ +1 450-464-0009. Restaurant. (updated May 2022)
• 5 Restaurant L'Eggsoeuf, 129 boulevard Laurier, ☏ +1 450-281-1373. (updated May 2022)

Cope

• 5 Municipal and school library (Bibliothèque municipale et scolaire), 720, rue Morin (library in the school of international education (users must only use entrance door #1, the school reception)), ☏ +1 450-467-4222, . This library notably offers a virtual catalog service with various search functions. (updated May 2022)

Go next

Routes through McMasterville

Longueuil ← Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville ←	W  E	→ Victoriaville → Lévis
Sorel-Tracy ← Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu ←	N  S	→ Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu → Lacolle
Varennes ← Sainte-Julie ←	W  E	→ Mont-Saint-Hilaire → Rougemont
Downtown Montreal ← Saint-Lambert ←	W  E	→ Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville → Mont-Saint-Hilaire