Jean Drapeau

Jean Drapeau was Mayor of Montreal for almost 30 years, the longest tenure in this position in the history of the city.

Mr. Drapeau died on August 12, 1999, at the age of 83. Barely one month after his death, the city’s mayor at the time, Pierre Bourque, renamed Montreal’s Parc des Îles in honour of the illustrious former mayor and his family. Thus, Parc Jean-Drapeau was born. It was an apt choice and was welcomed by the public since Mayor Drapeau was responsible, among other things, for the 1967 World’s Fair – the event that propelled Montreal onto the international scene.