Between 1975 and 1978, Parks Canada took control of the Lachine Canal, prompting a $100 million federal investment from 1984 to 2001. Real estate began booming in 1996, and from 2010 onward, a condo boom intensified gentrification, driving up property values and transforming Griffintown into a "build it and they will come" neighborhood. Mathew Barlow closes with his reflection on how Griffintown could have been redeveloped differently.

In this five-part series, Griffintown: A People’s History, historian Dr. Matthew Barlow recounts the fascinating social history of Griffintown, a former industrial neighbourhood just south of downtown Montreal, that has all but disappeared.