Cardinalin Edwardsburgh/Cardinal, Ontario
In Ontario, this town has 7,952 residents. It grew by 6% between the 2016 and 2021 censuses.
Is Cardinal a good place to live?
Prices are high against local incomes (C−). It also trails on hazard risk (D). Crime is low (B+). Put together, the subjects come to a C− overall, ranking #760 of 858 in Ontario. Set against the rest, it does better than a fifth of Canadian towns.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Safety is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Cardinal grades
Each subject compares Cardinal 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 →
What makes Cardinal stand out
The 2 things Cardinal does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cardinal.
For hazard risk, Cardinal gets a D
19% of radon tests in the survey area came in above the guideline, above Ontario’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (6.6%) alike. Seismic risk runs high: $0.13 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. The national inventory holds one flood map for it, from South Nation Conservation.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Cardinal | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 19% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.13 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Only 13% of households in Cardinal spend 30% or more of their income on shelter, against 18% in the typical Canadian town
81% of households are owner-occupiers. Owners put the median home at $348,000, below both Ontario’s towns ($695,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Cardinal | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 13% | 22% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $348,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Households owning their home | 81% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 20% | 22% | 20% |
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.
Household incomes in Cardinal top those of 65% of Canadian towns
Commutes averaged 31 min, above both Ontario’s towns (29 min) and Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Cardinal | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 31 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
For safety, Cardinal gets a B+
Where it is policed, thefts, break-ins and damage came to 15.7 per 1,000 a year, lower than both Ontario’s towns (30.5) and Canadian towns (31.2). Its police area records 7.9 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Cardinal doesn’t get its own Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures; the ones here come from the Grenville County (Edwardsburgh/Cardinal) detachment area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Cardinal | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 15.7 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 7.9 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Crime Severity Index | 51 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Around Cardinal, 51% of adults call their health very good or excellent
Shared with the rest of the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit: health survey and life expectancy
The region has more smokers than Ontario, 14% of adults to 11%. People in the region live to 81.2 on average: 83.3 for women and 79.2 for men in 2022/2024. The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 18% of adults, close to both Ontario’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (17%). Closer to home, a hospital is 24 km from the average resident of Cardinal, further than the usual 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Cardinal | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.2 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
January nights in Cardinal drop to −14.0°C (Ontario towns −9.1°C, Canadian towns −13.5°C)
A normal July day peaks at 26.8°C, near Ontario’s towns (26.7°C) and higher than Canadian towns (25.5°C). Most of the snow comes in January, about 50 cm. Also worth knowing: rain and snow peak in July, at 98 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Cardinal | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 180 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −14.0°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 26.8°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 157 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Kemptville)
In Cardinal, November normally means 6°C afternoons and −2°C nights
November usually brings some 11 cm of snow. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 79 mm. A normal December brings highs of −1°C, lows of −9°C. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Morrisburg.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −12°C | 194 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 0°C | 222 mm |
| Summer | 26°C | 14°C | 255 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 4°C | 254 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Kemptville); the forecast is on the Weather page
48% of Cardinal voters cast a ballot in 2022, more than in 91% of Ontario municipalities
For local government, Cardinal falls under Edwardsburgh/Cardinal, a township.
| Turnout | Cardinal | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 48% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Fewer loans per person served than 93% of Ontario’s town libraries: Edwardsburgh Cardinal Public Library lends 1.9
Edwardsburgh Cardinal Public Library serves 7,505 people from 2 branches.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Visible minorities make up less of Cardinal than of Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 1.5%
Immigrants make up 5.1% of residents, lower than both Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 23% of residents. The share of residents under 15 is 15%.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
50.6% of Cardinal’s residents are women
Here the census found 3,710 men and 3,795 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| Cardinal | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 15% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 53% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Cardinal is 22 km from Thousand Islands National Park
15 km from town is Brockville Long Swamp Fen Provincial Park, the nearest provincial park. 13 protected areas lie within 10 km. Within 10 km of the town, 0.8% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town. The Heritage Walking Trail is the one mapped walking route close by.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Cardinal | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.8% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Most of Cardinal’s schools are public: 1 of 6 are Catholic, where in Ontario it is 34%
1,415 students attend the 5 elementary schools and 1 secondary school in or within 3 km of Cardinal. Counting each board with a school within 3 km gives 2, below both Ontario’s towns (4) and Canadian towns (3). Elementary schools here average 209 students; in Ontario, 365.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mark Catholic School CatholicLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 350 | English Catholic |
| South Grenville District High School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 370 | English public |
| Centennial 67 Public School Top fifth in OntarioResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 150 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Cardinal | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Nearest elementary school | 8.8 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
| Nearest secondary school | 10 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Cardinal: 2 historic places, every one with the highest designation
The earliest construction date, 1832, belongs to Windmill Tower. Older housing, built before 1961, accounts for just over a third of homes, above both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
- Battle of the Windmill 1838
- Windmill Tower 1832
| Heritage | Cardinal | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 34% | 22% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Cardinal
Battle of the Windmill and 5 more in and around Cardinal
Sights in Cardinal and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.
Battlefield · Parks CanadaBattle of the Windmillin town
National historic site · Parks CanadaWindmill Towerin town
MuseumFort Wellington500 m outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumSpencerville Mill & Museumin townMuseumMuseumPrescott Railway Station1.7 km outside town, to the southZooZooSaunders Country Critters700 m outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Battle of the Windmill: Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Windmill Tower: Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Wellington: Rbgstewart at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Cardinal
4 notable people were born in Cardinal.
Photo credits
Rusty Crawford: Unknown author, Public domain · Eric Selleck: Jessica, CC BY-SA 2.0
About Cardinal
Town in Ontario
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Cardinal is one census subdivision in Ontario, and TownRatings describes all of it.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 7,952 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Leeds and Grenville
- Census subdivision
- 3507004
Cardinal’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal | 7,952 | — | C− | C− | B+ | C+ |
| Prescott | 4,342 | 14 | D | D | C− | C+ |
| Morrisburg | 11,943 | 18 | C | C | A | C |
| Augusta | 7,767 | 19 | B | C+ | A | C+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Cardinal
Who are the people of Cardinal?
At the 2021 census, 5% were immigrants and 2% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 4% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What kind of homes are in Cardinal?
83% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 2% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.4 people; 25% are one person living alone.
Has Cardinal grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 7,074 to 7,505 residents (up 6.1%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 7,952.
Is Cardinal a young town or an old one?
The median resident is 48.4 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 15% are under 15 and 23% are 65 or over.
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).