IrisOttawa
It is one of 103 neighbourhoods of Ottawa. With 5,733 residents, it is a neighbourhood in Ottawa.
Is Iris a good place to live?
Iris does the important things well, at a cost. People here tend to be in good health (A+). The neighbourhood’s overall grade is B+, better than 65% of Canadian towns. Its place in the ranking is #298 of 858 in Ontario. Walkability is a strength too (A+). Buying in is costly (D−). Hazard risk is weaker too (C+). Its other grades sit near the middle: B for schools and B− for jobs & income.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety uses the city's Crime Severity Index, scaled by this neighbourhood's own violent and property 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.
How Iris grades
Each subject compares Iris 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 Iris stand out
The 3 things Iris does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Iris.
Renting in Iris eats 27% of household income, more than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns
Shared with the rest of the Ottawa-Gatineau metro area: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom
24% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, above Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. Owners put the median home at $600,000, below Ontario’s towns ($695,000) but above Canadian towns ($406,000).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Iris | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 27% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 24% | 22% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $600,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.
Few places match Iris for health: it beats 95% of Canadian towns
In the health survey, 56% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, more than Ontario’s 51%. At 8.6%, the share of adults who smoke sits under the 11% for Ontario, and on average 16% of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, lower than both Ontario’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (17%). People in the region live to 83.7 on average: 85.7 for women and 81.6 for men in 2022/2024. Nobody publishes health survey and life expectancy for Iris alone, so this card uses the figure for the City of Ottawa Health Unit.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Iris | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 56% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.7 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 8.6% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
For safety, Iris gets a B+
Violent incidents in its police area came to 8 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Ontario’s towns (10.5) and Canadian towns (12). For violence alone, its police area’s index was 66, below Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86) alike.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Iris | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 8 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 66 | 76 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 55 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Area behind the Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures: the Ottawa service area
Wildfire low, radon 6.2%: how Iris stands on hazards
Measured across the city of Ottawa: earthquake risk
Earthquakes are expected to cost $0.15 a year for every $1,000 of buildings, higher than both Ontario’s towns ($0.043) and Canadian towns ($0.030). No wildfire is mapped within 25 km of Iris’ homes since 1986 (0% of the land, 0.001% a year). The national flood inventory has no study of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Iris | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.15 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 6.2% | 4% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Four parallel systems run Iris’s schools through 4 boards: English and French, public and Catholic
The 33 with results split, 13 in the upper two fifths in Ontario and 11 in the lower. Nepean High School is the biggest, at 1,270 students. 16,735 students attend the 30 elementary schools, 9 secondary schools and 1 alternative or adult school in or within 3 km of Iris. Of the 40, 5 teach in French (10% of schools in Ontario).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadview Public School Second fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 865 | English public |
| Nepean High School Top fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,270 | English public |
| École élémentaire catholique Terre-des-Jeunes FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 445 | French Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Iris | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
January nights in Iris drop to −14.0°C (Ontario towns −9.1°C, Canadian towns −13.5°C)
The warmest stretch brings July afternoons of 26.7°C, about level with Ontario’s towns (26.7°C) and above Canadian towns (25.5°C). Gardeners get 158 frost-free days, from 30 April to 6 October. Snow peaks in January: 45 cm in a normal year. Rain and snow peak in June, at 95 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Iris | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 185 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −14.0°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 26.7°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 147 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Ottawa (City))
Iris has more protected land around it than nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns
Within 5 km are 6 beaches; Britannia Beach is the nearest. The largest is Rideau Canal National Historic Site: 19,972 ha, 4.8 km from the edge of town. 26 protected areas lie within 10 km. 87 km separate the town from Thousand Islands National Park, its nearest national park.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Iris | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 12% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 12 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
More people in Iris speak English and French than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 25%
13% are under 15, below Ontario’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (16%) alike. Retirement age and beyond: 18% of residents are 65 or older.
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 49.9% of Iris
By the 2021 count the town had 2,860 women and 2,875 men, while Canada has 50.9% women.
| Iris | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 70% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 18% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 10% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 63% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
What November brings in Iris: −2°C at night, 6°C by day
ECCC’s forecast for Ottawa (Kanata - Orléans) is on the Weather page, hour by hour. December follows at −2°C by day and −9°C by night. Expect around 16 cm of snow in November. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 72 mm.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −12°C | 191 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 1°C | 223 mm |
| Summer | 26°C | 15°C | 275 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 4°C | 249 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Ottawa (City)); the forecast is on the Weather page
At 7.6 loans per person served, Ottawa public library lends more than 91% of Ontario’s town libraries
Iris is served by Ottawa public library, the library of all of Ottawa, so the figures here are the city’s, for 1,083,550 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
The car carries only 76% of commuters in Iris, fewer than in Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
The average trip to work takes 23 min.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Iris | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 76% | 88% | 89% |
| Average trip | 23 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Everything we know about Iris
James Bartleman Archives and Library Materials Centre and 5 more in and around Iris
A first look at Iris’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
Famous people from around Iris
No notable person born in Iris is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Sandra Oh: Peabody Awards, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dan Ratushny: Ailura, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Brandt Clarke: TheAHL, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Peter Chiarelli: Connor Mah, CC BY-SA 3.0
About Iris
Neighbourhood in Ottawa
Census areas put together by TownRatings make up Iris, one part of Ottawa; the city’s map or OpenStreetMap gives it its name.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 5,733 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Ottawa
- Census subdivision
- 3506008
Iris’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iris | 5,733 | — | B+ | D− | B+ | A+ |
| Queensway Terrace North | 3,160 | 1.1 | A | D | A+ | A |
| Centrepointe - Briargreen | 9,259 | 1.3 | A | C− | A+ | A |
| Qualicum - Redwood | 4,761 | 1.4 | A− | D | A | A+ |
| Bayshore | 14,491 | 1.9 | C | D | B− | A+ |
| Britannia | 8,421 | 1.9 | C+ | D− | C+ | A |
| Leslie Park - Bruce Farm | 3,056 | 2 | A− | D | A+ | A+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Iris
Do people in Iris speak French?
English and French are both spoken by 25% of residents, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%. French alone: 1%.
Is Iris a young town or an old one?
At 38.1, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 13% of the population and seniors 18%.
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).