Kanata LakesOttawa
With 19,861 residents, it is a neighbourhood in Ottawa. It is one of the 103 neighbourhoods that make up Ottawa.
Is Kanata Lakes a good place to live?
Kanata Lakes does the important things well, at a cost. Its best grade is for schools (A+). The trade-off is cost of living (C). All told, that adds up to an A+ overall, better than 96% of Canadian towns. That places it #27 of 858 in Ontario.
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.
What makes Kanata Lakes stand out
The 3 things Kanata Lakes does most differently from other towns.
How Kanata Lakes grades
Each subject compares Kanata Lakes 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 Kanata Lakes.
The top fifth in Ontario holds 15 of the 32 schools around Kanata Lakes with results
20 of the 40 are Catholic, more than the 34% in Ontario. Earl of March Secondary School is the biggest, at 1,715 students. All four of Ontario’s systems run schools here, English and French, public and Catholic. Schooling in French is on offer at 7 of 40; in Ontario, 10% of schools teach in it.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shingwàkons Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 790 | English public |
| Earl of March Secondary School Top fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,715 | English public |
| École élémentaire catholique Saint-Rémi FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 335 | French Catholic |
| All Saints Catholic High School CatholicResults in the top fifth in OntarioSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,035 | English Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Kanata Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Kanata Lakes’s grade for health: an A
Across the region, 56% of adults say their health is very good or excellent; Ontario as a whole manages 51%. Smoking is rarer than in the province: 8.6% of adults, against 11% for Ontario. On average 16% of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, below Ontario’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (17%) alike. For Kanata Lakes itself the measure is access, and it lags: 8.7 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the City of Ottawa Health Unit, Kanata Lakes included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Kanata Lakes | 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
Kanata Lakes’s grade for safety: an A
Where it is policed, 8 violent incidents per 1,000 residents are recorded each year. The index for the force that serves it came to 55, close to Ontario’s towns (56) and below Canadian towns (67). Figures for Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 are published for the Ottawa service area as a whole, not for Kanata Lakes alone.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Kanata Lakes | 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
Trips to work from Kanata Lakes are shorter than from Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 24 min on average
The car took 86% of commuters, close to both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Kanata Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 24 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 86% | 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.
Between the home and getting around, Kanata Lakes’s households spend 21% of income, below the 29% of the typical Canadian town
The rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom numbers here cover the Ottawa-Gatineau metro area
A year’s rent came to 17% of the median household income, below Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%) alike. Households that own their home make up 68%.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Kanata Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $800,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 24% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 68% | 76% | 74% |
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.
Hazards in Kanata Lakes: wildfire low, radon over the guideline in 6.2% of tested homes
Shaking is a bigger worry than in most places, at $0.15 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Burn scars are few around Kanata Lakes, with 0.1% of the land within 25 km touched by fire since 1986 (0.002% 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 | Kanata Lakes | 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 · Area behind the earthquake risk figures: the city of Ottawa
January lows in Kanata Lakes: −14.0°C, against −9.1°C in Ontario’s towns and −13.5°C in Canadian towns
A normal July day peaks at 26.7°C, near Ontario’s towns (26.7°C) and higher than Canadian towns (25.5°C). The frost-free season runs from 30 April to 6 October, 158 days. The most precipitation falls in June: 95 mm in a normal year. January is the snowiest month, with 45 cm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Kanata Lakes | 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))
More people in Kanata Lakes speak English and French than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 27%
People 65 and over make up 21% of the town, above Ontario’s towns (19%) and Canadian towns (19%) alike. Children are 17% of the town.
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 52.1% of Kanata Lakes
10,340 women and 9,520 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Kanata Lakes | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 21% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 8% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 73% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Expect November days around 6°C in Kanata Lakes, nights around −2°C
The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Ottawa (Kanata - Orléans). A normal December brings highs of −2°C, lows of −9°C. November usually brings some 16 cm of snow. 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
Council seats in Ottawa are spread thin, 47,520 residents each, more than in 99% of Ontario municipalities
In the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Kanata Lakes belongs to Kanata—Carleton; who holds it as MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) isn’t on an open record, so no one is named.
| Turnout | Kanata Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 44% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Kanata Lakes’s grade for civic life grade: a C+
The library figures on this page are Ottawa’s: Ottawa public library serves all 1,083,550 people of the city, Kanata Lakes among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
The nearest provincial park to Kanata Lakes is Burnt Lands Provincial Park, 15 km away
Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 6% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town. Biggest among them: Aylmer (Lac Deschênes) Water Fowl Gathering Area, 588 ha, 7.2 km off. CPCAD lists 9 protected areas within 10 km. Thousand Islands National Park is the closest national park, 82 km from town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Kanata Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 6% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Christ Church Huntley and 12 more within 40 km
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Kanata Lakes; with it, the best known within 40 km.
Art galleryNational Gallery of Canada22 km northeast · 237K visitors a year (2014)
MuseumCarleton University20 km northeast
Big drawMuseumCanadian Museum of History21 km northeast · 1.3M visitors a year
MuseumCanadian Museum of Nature22 km northeast
MuseumCanadian War Museum20 km northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- National Gallery of Canada: Wladyslaw [Disk.], CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carleton University: Harleyd613, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian Museum of History: Wojciech Dittwald, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian Museum of Nature: RealGrouchy, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian War Museum: Balcer~commonswiki, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Kanata Lakes
Kanata Lakes’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanata Lakes | 19,861 | — | A+ | C | A | A |
| Beaverbrook | 6,762 | 2.5 | A+ | C− | A+ | A |
| Katimavik-Hazeldean | 11,437 | 2.9 | A+ | C− | A | A |
| Brookside - Briarbrook - Morgans Grant | 15,509 | 3.8 | A+ | C+ | A+ | A |
| Stittsville North | 13,331 | 4.7 | A+ | C | A | A |
| Glen Cairn | 14,020 | 5.2 | A | C− | B+ | A |
| Stittsville East | 10,482 | 6.2 | A+ | C | A+ | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Kanata Lakes
Do people in Kanata Lakes speak French?
English and French are both spoken by 27% of residents, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%. French alone: 0.3%.
Is Kanata Lakes a young town or an old one?
The median resident is 45.3 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 17% are under 15 and 21% are 65 or over.
About Kanata Lakes
Neighbourhood in Ottawa
No official boundary marks Kanata Lakes off from the rest of Ottawa: TownRatings draws it from the census’s dissemination areas and takes its name from the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 19,861 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Ottawa
- Census subdivision
- 3506008
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).