In the 1970's, following the Quiet Revolution, francophone culture flourished in Quebec, and the labour movement enjoyed moderate successes. Yet the francophone, allophone, and anglophone working class saw that radical cultural change prompted by the Quiet Revolution did not necessarily signify economic change.

In 1972, Pointe St. Charles had 25,508 inhabitants. Along with the inhabitants of Hochelaga-de Maisonneuve and the Centre South (Centre Sud), the people of St. Henri and Pointe St. Charles had the lowest levels of schooling and income, the highest unemployment, the least adequate housing, and the least happy family environments. Its residents had the lowest average level of education in the entire city, with the surveyed adult population having an average of seven years of schooling. Unemployment levels were among the highest in the city and two-thirds of the population was living in poverty because of pathetic wages and large families. The remaining one-third of the population was on welfare.

At about this time, a study commissioned by the city of Montréal deemed the neighborhoods of St. Henri and Pointe St. Charles to be among its poorest districts. The study, which examined the vacationing habits of working-class Montréalers, was entitled Balconville.

 

• Balconville Main Page
• Playwright's Biography
• Selected Production History
• Reviews
• More about Pointe St. Charles
• Interview With Guy Sprung, Director
• Interview With Peter MacNeill, Actor
• Interview With Terry Tweed, Actor