As development in the suburbs shifts from construction of single-family dwellings to multi-family units, including apartments, the number of residents in the West Island who are renters is growing.

For example, in 2016, the population of Pointe Claire stood at 31,380, according to the 2016 Census. At that time there were 12,275 private residential dwellings, including 2,275 apartments, which represented 18.5 per cent of the occupied dwellings, the figures from the census show.

Five years later, Pointe Claire had 13,310 private occupied homes, including 4,405 rental units, representing 33 per cent of the households, according to the 2021 Census.

In Dorval, which had a population of 18,980, according to the 2016 Census, there were 8,390 occupied households. Of that total, 3,940 were rental units, representing about 47 per cent.

In 2021, the percentage of renters in Dorval had jumped to 48 of a slightly larger number of residential dwellings, as there were 4,190 rental units out of a total of 8,715 occupied households.