Photo: Krazytea · CC BY-SA 3.0Wildfire low, radon 12%: how William Whyte stands on hazards
Fire has left almost no mark near William Whyte: 0% of the land within 25 km since 1986, 0.001% a year. Seismic risk runs low: $0.006 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. Hazard risk gives William Whyte a grade of B+; its wildfire band pulls it down.
What stands out about William Whyte’s hazards
For William Whyte, from NRCan’s seismic model, Health Canada’s radon survey, the national burned-area record and the flood map inventory.
What William Whyte faces
Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.
Wildfire
Earthquakes
Radon
Flood study
William Whyte grades B+ for hazard risk
Risk averages earthquakes and radon; wildfire joins only where it pulls the average down, so a town like William Whyte with little fire nearby would get no credit for it.
Its place: #10 of 185 in Manitoba and #940 of 2,589 Canadian towns.
How sure: The seismic figure is a long-run average from NRCan’s model, not a prediction. The radon share rests on 66 home tests in the survey area, so a few homes move it. The burned-area record misses fires under about 10 ha and most grass and farm fires.
Wildfire is rare near William Whyte: 0% of the land within 25 km burned since 1986, 0% within 5 km
Past fire around William Whyte’s homes, from the national burned-area record, with the fuel within 5 km.
In a typical year 0.001% of the land near William Whyte burns; the typical Canadian town sees 0.000%, and both are low.
The closest burn since 1986 lies 19 km from William Whyte’s homes, none within 5 km.
Only 0.1% of the land within 25 km of William Whyte is forest fuel, and 0% close in.
Shares of land within 5 and 25 km of populated blocks: burned at least once in 1986–2025 (CWFIS burned-area composite), forest fuel and grass (fire behaviour fuel types, 2026, 250 m grid).
Burn rate a year, towns in Manitoba · highest of 189
In the top quarter in Manitoba: William Whyte ranks 31st of 189 at 0.001% a year, with Flin Flon (Part) first at 1.68%.
Each bar: the yearly average share of land within 25 km of a town’s homes that burned, 1986–2025 (CWFIS); the seven highest towns of 2,500 people or more.
7.5% of Canada’s 2,610 towns burn fast enough to rank moderate or above; William Whyte stays low, with 92%.
Bands of the yearly burn rate: low under 0.05%, moderate under 0.25%, high under 1%, very high 1% or more; towns of 2,500 people or more.
Fire danger and active fires (CWFIS)
Canadian Wildland Fire Information System: National Burned Area Composite 1986–2025 and fire behaviour fuel types (2026), Natural Resources Canada. Measured within 25 km and 5 km of each populated dissemination area; past fire, not a forecast.
The flood map inventory lists nothing for William Whyte
What Canada’s Flood Map Inventory lists for William Whyte: who studied flooding and where to see their maps.
Canada’s Flood Map Inventory lists no study whose area touches William Whyte, which doesn’t mean it has never been mapped.
Towns with a flood study on file
No study touches William Whyte; in Manitoba, 18% of towns have one, below Canada’s 58%.
NRCan Canada Flood Map Inventory: a study footprint touching the town’s boundary; towns of 2,500 people or more.
Listed, not scored: a flood study proves a map exists, not that William Whyte floods.
The inventory’s own caution (NRCan): “The Canada Flood Map (CFM) does not include every flood hazard map in Canada and may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. It should not be relied upon as the official source of flood mapping information. Furthermore, if a map appears to be missing, this does not necessarily mean that the area has never been mapped. For the official version of a map, updated information, or confirmation of applicable regulations, please contact the local authority responsible for flood mapping.”
Low seismic risk in William Whyte: $0.006 per $1,000 of buildings a year
Expected yearly building losses from earthquakes, from Natural Resources Canada’s model.
0.2 times the typical $0.030: William Whyte’s $0.006 is low for Canada.
For earthquake risk, the only official count covers all of the city of Winnipeg, William Whyte included.
Shaking damage a year per $1,000 of building value
Earthquake risk around William Whyte ($0.006) matches the middle in Manitoba ($0.006), far from Virden’s $0.007.
NRCan seismic risk model (2022): mean yearly building loss per $1,000 of value; medians of towns of 2,500 people or more.
Most of Canada’s 2,611 towns (88%) face more earthquake damage than William Whyte.
Each column: the share of Canada’s towns of 2,500 people or more in that range of yearly loss per $1,000 (NRCan, 2022).
For William Whyte the model prices shaking damage to buildings, nothing more.
Natural Resources Canada, Canada’s Seismic Risk Model (2022), by census subdivision (2016 boundaries; a few 2021 subdivisions take their residents’ mean).
Test for radon in William Whyte: 12% of area homes were over the guideline
Long-term radon tests in homes across the survey area, against Health Canada’s guideline.
William Whyte’s area, at 12%, is above the 6.6% of the typical Canadian town, so testing is worth more here than most places. William Whyte shares its radon tests numbers with the rest of the Winnipeg health region.
Tested homes over 200 Bq/m³
Over 600 Bq/m³
The typical town in Manitoba has 12% over 200 Bq/m³; William Whyte’s area has 12%, much the same.
Health Canada radon survey (2009–2011), by 2007 health region; medians of towns of 2,500 people or more.
4.6% of Canada’s 2,611 towns have a higher share of homes over 200 Bq/m³ than William Whyte, in the 10–20% band with 22%.
Each bar: the share of Canada’s towns of 2,500 people or more whose survey area had that share of tests over 200 Bq/m³.
A low area share in William Whyte doesn’t clear a house, nor does a high one condemn it: test.
Health Canada, Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011).
Where to get warnings in William Whyte
Alerts for William Whyte come from Environment and Climate Change Canada and, for emergencies, Alert Ready.
| Alert | What it means |
|---|---|
| Warning | Severe weather is happening or about to: act now. |
| Watch | Conditions favour severe weather: be ready. |
| Advisory | Weather that is less severe but could disrupt the day. |
| Special weather statement | Unusual weather worth knowing about. |
| Special air quality statement | Poor air, often wildfire smoke. |
Fire danger and active fires near William Whyte are mapped daily by the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System; evacuation orders come from the municipality or province.
Weather alerts (ECCC) · Alert Ready · Fire danger and active fires (CWFIS)
How William Whyte’s neighbours compare on hazards
Wildfire band, earthquake risk, radon and flood studies for each place nearby.
| Town | Wildfire | Quake $/1,000 | Radon | Flood study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Whyte | Low | $0.006 | 12% | None listed |
| North Point Douglas 2,670 · 1.1 km | Low | $0.006 | 12% | None listed |
| Centennial 4,483 · 1.4 km | Low | $0.006 | 12% | None listed |
| St. John's 8,492 · 1.4 km | Low | $0.006 | 12% | None listed |
| Inkster-Faraday 3,700 · 1.6 km | Low | $0.006 | 12% | None listed |
| Burrows Central 5,565 · 1.8 km | Low | $0.006 | 12% | None listed |
| West Alexander 5,161 · 1.8 km | Low | $0.006 | 12% | None listed |
William Whyte’s low band tops its neighbours; North Point Douglas is next (low).
Radon is the survey area’s figure, so neighbours in one area share it.
Get ready for what William Whyte faces
What to do about the hazards William Whyte faces, and what to ask before you buy.
- Test for three months in winter.
- Over 200 Bq/m³: fix it.
- Kits are cheap; pros test too.
- Never drive through floodwater.
- Move papers and medicines upstairs.
- Ask whether your street is mapped.
- Clear needles and wood nearby.
- Keep a grab-and-go bag ready.
- In smoke, stay in; filter air.
- Has it had a radon test?
- Ask the municipality for flood maps.
- Are flood and wildfire insured?
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Flood studies aren’t flood zones. A study’s area can be a whole watershed or province, so being on the inventory says a map exists, not that a home in William Whyte floods.
- Earthquakes are modelled. Seismic risk is NRCan’s model of yearly building losses from shaking, averaged over many years and given for William Whyte’s census subdivision (a neighbourhood shows its city’s).
- Wildfire counts one way. For William Whyte, wildfire means how much nearby land burned in the past forty years, a one-way input that can pull Risk down and nothing more.
- Radon is a survey. The radon share comes from about 14,000 long-term home tests in 2009–2011, pooled for now by the 2007 health region William Whyte sits in.
Questions about flooding and hazards in William Whyte
Is radon a problem in William Whyte?
Around William Whyte, 66 survey homes were tested and 12% came in over 200 Bq/m³, a guide to the area, not to any one home.
How big is the earthquake risk in William Whyte?
NRCan’s model expects shaking to cost buildings in William Whyte $0.006 a year for every $1,000 of their value, on average over many years.
Does William Whyte flood?
With 0 studies on the inventory, William Whyte’s flood risk is unmapped nationally; check with the municipality before buying.
Is William Whyte at risk of wildfire?
Fire has reached 0% of the land around William Whyte since 1986 (last in 2012); at low, it neither helps nor hurts the grade.
How is William Whyte’s Hazard risk Grade worked out?
William Whyte grades B+ for hazard risk, from earthquakes and radon, with wildfire counted only where it lowers the grade.
Seismic risk: Natural Resources Canada. Radon: Health Canada. Wildfire: Canadian Wildland Fire Information System. Flood studies: Natural Resources Canada, Canada Flood Map Inventory. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Sources: NRCan, Canada’s Seismic Risk Model 2022 · Health Canada, Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes · CWFIS, National Burned Area Composite and FBP fuel types · NRCan, Canada Flood Map Inventory. 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).