The transformation of Montreal’s
former textile factories into trendy loft
office space for the new economy
By Marie-France Benoit, MBA
Photos courtesy of O Mile-Ex
FROM TEXTILE FACTORIES TO
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE HUB
The Montreal region, with a population of
over four million, is the second largest metropolitan area in Canada. It is, to this day, one of Canada’s major industrial hubs, providing access to North America’s heartland through its St. Lawrence Seaway port. While the
share of jobs in the manufacturing sector now only accounts for
10 percent of total employment—the tertiary sector accounting for 87 percent, according to provincial government’s most
recent stats—the city’s commercial real estate landscape bears
witness to its rich industrial heritage.
At the end of the 1930s, the manufacturing sector was the
backbone of Montreal’s economy. The garment industry, also
known as the shmata business, was the greatest of that period,
providing 40 percent of all manufacturing jobs. The production
of clothing and fashion accessories remained the largest manufacturing employer in the metropolis until the 1990s as Montreal had become the epicenter of the fashion industry in Canada.
