Lake BonavistaCalgary
Population 11,154: a neighbourhood in Calgary. Of Calgary’s 152 neighbourhoods, this is one.
Is Lake Bonavista a good place to live?
Lake Bonavista’s best grade is for health (A). Households here earn well (A). Prices are high against local incomes (C+). The overall grade lands at A, #13 of 473 in Alberta. It comes out better than 90% of Canadian towns.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety less sure: this is the whole city's figure, because the city doesn't publish open neighbourhood crime rates. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
What makes Lake Bonavista stand out
The 3 things Lake Bonavista does most differently from other towns.
How Lake Bonavista grades
Each subject compares Lake Bonavista with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Lake Bonavista.
Lake Bonavista gets an A for health
Health survey and life expectancy for the Calgary Zone
Life expectancy in the region is 83.0 years (85.0 for women, 80.9 for men, 2022/2024). Age-standardised, 56% of the region’s adults put their health at very good or excellent, above Alberta’s towns (51%) and Canadian towns (52%) alike. The region has fewer smokers than Alberta, 7.9% of adults to 11%. The town’s own part is the trip to care: residents of Lake Bonavista live 4.2 km from a hospital on average, close to the typical town’s 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Lake Bonavista | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 56% | 51% | 52% |
| Smokers | 7.9% | 12% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.0 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Trips to work from Lake Bonavista are shorter than from Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 22 min on average
The car took 89% of commuters, close to both Alberta’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Lake Bonavista | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 89% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
The schools around Lake Bonavista answer to 5 boards
Schooling in French is on offer at 2 of 63; in Alberta, 2% of schools teach in it. The largest is Lord Beaverbrook High School, with 2,059 students. On the tests, 23 of 43 schools land above the middle in Alberta, 12 under it. In or within 3 km of Lake Bonavista: 39 elementary schools, 7 secondary schools and 17 schools for every grade, with 28,636 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Middle School Campus Top fifth in AlbertaLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades 5–8 | Elementary · Grades 5–8 | 728 | Other |
| Lord Beaverbrook High SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 10–12 | Secondary · Grades 10–12 | 2,059 | English public |
| École Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades K–6 | Elementary · Grades K–6 | 271 | French public |
| Andrew Sibbald School Top fifth in AlbertaResults in the top fifth in AlbertaElementary · Grades K–5 | Elementary · Grades K–5 | 310 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Lake Bonavista | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
A flood study covers Lake Bonavista: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from Government of Alberta
Measured across the city of Calgary: earthquake risk
For earthquakes Lake Bonavista is middling, $0.023 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. In Health Canada’s survey, nearly one in ten homes tested in the town’s area exceeded 200 Bq/m³, close to the typical 6.6%. Lake Bonavista doesn’t get its own radon tests figures; the ones here come from the Calgary Health Region.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Lake Bonavista | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8.1% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.023 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Shelter costs push only 11% of Lake Bonavista’s households past 30% of income, fewer than the 18% of the typical Canadian town
Owners put the median home at $600,000, higher than both Alberta’s towns ($400,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000). Households that own their home make up 88%. Lake Bonavista shares its rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom numbers with the rest of the Calgary metro area.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Lake Bonavista | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 11% | 21% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 88% | 74% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 20% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $600,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.
Less rain and snow fall on Lake Bonavista than on 82% of Canadian towns: 445 mm a year
A normal July day peaks at 23.5°C, close to Alberta’s towns (23.5°C) and below Canadian towns (25.5°C). June is the wettest month, with 113 mm of rain and snow on average. March is the snowiest month, with 24 cm on average. Between the last spring frost, 21 May, and the first in autumn, 18 September, lie 119 days.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Lake Bonavista | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 445 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 23.5°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 193 | 193 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Calgary (Airport))
Older residents shape Lake Bonavista: 25% are 65 or over, above Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
Visible minorities make up 12% of the population, lower than both Alberta’s towns (29%) and Canadian towns (15%). Children under 15 count for 17% of the people here.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 50.2% of Lake Bonavista
Women numbered 5,595 and men 5,545 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Lake Bonavista | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 58% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 25% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 8.9% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 66% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
What November brings in Lake Bonavista: −8°C at night, 4°C by day
Snow is normal by November, about 19 cm over the month. Then December: freezing by day, −12°C at night. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 16 mm. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Calgary forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −1°C | −12°C | 34 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −2°C | 108 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 9°C | 232 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | −1°C | 71 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Calgary (Airport)); the forecast is on the Weather page
More loans per person served than four in five Alberta’s town libraries: Calgary Library lends 12.7
The library figures on this page are Calgary’s: Calgary Library serves all 1,285,711 people of the city, Lake Bonavista among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Lake Bonavista gets a B− for safety
Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over the Calgary service area
The index for the force that serves it came to 67, about level with Canadian towns (67) and below Alberta’s towns (110). The force’s area logs 10.6 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Its police area records 31.9 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Lake Bonavista | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 67 | 110 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 79 | 109 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 31.9 | 45 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 10.6 | 14.2 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
A provincial park at Lake Bonavista’s edge: Fish Creek Provincial Park
CPCAD lists 2 protected areas within 10 km. 83 km separate the town from Banff National Park, its nearest national park. Protected areas cover 3.5% of the land within 10 km, higher than both Alberta’s towns (0.4%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). Also worth knowing: for a swim, Sikome Lake North is the nearest of 12 beaches within 5 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Lake Bonavista | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 3.5% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Heritage Park Historical Village and 7 more in and around Lake Bonavista
What there is to see in Lake Bonavista and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
MuseumHeritage Park Historical Village4.5 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumGasoline Alley4.1 km outside town, to the northHeritage railwayHeritage railwayCP 7019 and caboose3.5 km outside town, to the northHeritage railwayHeritage railwayCPR Selkirk 59313.6 km outside town, to the northWater parkWater parkSikome Aquatic Facility3.9 km outside town, to the southTheme parkTheme parkThe Fairgrounds4.4 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Heritage Park Historical Village: Qyd, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Lake Bonavista
Lake Bonavista’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Bonavista | 11,154 | — | A | C+ | B− | A |
| Queensland | 4,452 | 1.7 | B+ | D | B− | A |
| Willow Park | 6,891 | 2.1 | A− | C− | B− | A |
| Canyon Meadows | 6,751 | 2.1 | A− | C− | B− | A |
| Parkland | 3,652 | 2.7 | A− | C+ | B− | A+ |
| Midnapore | 7,022 | 2.9 | A− | D | B− | A+ |
| Southwood | 6,092 | 3 | B | D | B− | A+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
About Lake Bonavista
Neighbourhood in Calgary
Where Lake Bonavista begins and ends inside Calgary is TownRatings’s line, traced along census dissemination areas and named after the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 11,154 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- City
- Calgary
- Census subdivision
- 4806016
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).