I am a big picture thinker. I love conducting studies that look at spatial patterns on a large scale – I’m sure this comes as no surprise given the number of Ontario-wide and Canada-wide studies I have published. However, one of the drawbacks of large-scale studies is the inability to explore local histories, policies, and lived experiences.
In order to study some of these local realities, I decided to include a qualitative study in my dissertation that focuses on two case study municipalities: Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, QC and Tecumseh, ON. These municipalities were selected due to their similar population sizes and proximity to large cities. In September, I ventured out to both municipalities to better understand their built and social environments.
A day in DDO
I woke up in my Montreal studio and prepared for my hour-long journey to Dollard-Des-Ormeaux (DDO). An hour must be a huge improvement compared to travel times before the REM, Montreal’s new light rail, was put into service in late 2025 and early 2026.
I enjoyed the calm and scenic trip to the Pointe-Claire station, which is located beside a large mall at a highway exit. To get to the centre of town, I had to take a bus; thankfully, the bus station was connected to the REM station.
Normally, when I visit a new city, I immediately visit the downtown core. However, DDO doesn’t have anything that resembles a downtown core. Unlike some other suburbs, DDO didn’t begin as its own standalone town – it has always had strong connections with Montreal. While there are local businesses in DDO, they are spread out across the city in various strip malls.
Instead, I started by visiting the largest park in DDO. The main attraction was a path that loops around a small lake. I felt it was a shame that the lake is hidden by bushes and tall grass on the majority of the trail. When I finally got to the lookout, it was quite beautiful.
I then walked south to reach the Civic Centre. While DDO doesn’t have a downtown core, it does have one large building that houses all things administrative and recreational: city hall, library, pool, arena, some non-profit organizations… it truly is a one-stop shop. However, I didn’t really get the chance to explore everything, as the majority of the building was being renovated. I later found out that this building, along with many private buildings, sustained severe flood damage from harsh summer rainfall.
As I explored some more, it became clear that DDO is not very pedestrian-friendly. On my way to two different bus stops, I was forced to walk in the grass on rather busy roads due to a lack of sidewalks. In some parts of town, traffic lights were few and far between. This isn’t incredibly surprising, given most people in this suburb likely own vehicles. I do wonder if the opening of the new REM station will prompt the city to focus more on pedestrian-level and cycling infrastructure.
My day in DDO ended with a visit of one of the non-profit organizations I interviewed for my dissertation. While I must keep the organization anonymous, I will say that being able to tour their facility and better understand the logistics of the work they do was eye-opening.
Touring Tecumseh
At the end of September, I prepared myself for a slightly longer travel time – a 14-hour train ride from Montreal to Windsor. After many delays, I finally arrived at my Airbnb, tucked into one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Tecumseh. While I couldn’t see much during my Uber ride, I was pleasantly surprised to see bright green bike lanes along some of the streets.
The next day, I started walking – stopped to eat some delicious tacos – and started walking again to explore the neighbourhood in which I was staying.
Tecumseh doesn’t exactly have a downtown core either. However, it does have a few obvious commerce corridors, one of which was near my accommodation. After walking through this area, I walked to a park that shared some obvious characteristics with DDO’s park. What I wasn’t expecting, was the difference in topography.
After this, I walked toward Tecumseh’s arena and back to my Airbnb. On the way, I walked past city hall, the police station and the fire station, all on the same street. Another one-stop shop!
The following day, I had the pleasure of spending some time with my cousin, who is studying at the University of Windsor. I am so grateful that she agreed to take me on a drive around Tecumseh, as the town is quite spread out, and its bus service is practically non-existent. On this trip, I noticed the wealth in Tecumseh, especially along the water’s edge. Even their one public access point to the lake looked incredibly expensive. As for food that day, I ate some incredible wings (there was a 2-for-1 deal!), and my cousin brought me to a pizza place where you can get a massive slice of pizza (I’d estimate over a foot long) for $5. Many leftovers were consumed the following day.
The highlight of my last full day in Tecumseh was spending time at the Tecumseh Historical Society Museum. The museum wasn’t even open the day I went; when I called ahead to ask whether I could visit outside of standard hours, the volunteer gave me her cell phone number and encouraged me to give her a call when I was ready to visit. I spent three whole hours with this volunteer, the majority of which was spent sitting at a table with old atlases and maps spread across it. I learned so much – the origin of the town (a railroad town – just like my hometown, North Bay!), the town amalgamations, the first electric street railway in Canada… and now, if I have any historical questions about Tecumseh, I have an amazing contact who can help me find the answers.
I went to DDO and Tecumseh with the objective of familiarising myself with my case study cities. I left, not only with a substantial amount of knowledge about both municipalities, but also with connections to individuals that were so thrilled to know that I was dedicating my doctoral research to their community. It was the encouragement I needed to keep going as I near the end of my PhD program.