Photo: Dlanglois · CC BY-SA 4.0Flood mapping exists for North Gower - Kars: 7 on record, latest by Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
Wildfire barely registers for North Gower - Kars, at 0% of the land within 25 km since 1986 (0.000% a year). Shaking is a bigger worry than in most places, at $0.15 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Radon around North Gower - Kars is ordinary for Canada: 6.2% of tested homes over the guideline (6.6% typical). North Gower - Kars grades C+ for hazard risk; wildfire is low here, so it earns no credit.
What stands out about North Gower - Kars’s hazards
Four national sources, each read for North Gower - Kars: earthquakes, radon, past fires and flood studies.
What North Gower - Kars faces
Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.
Wildfire
Earthquakes
Radon
Flood study
North Gower - Kars grades C+ for hazard risk
Two inputs always count for North Gower - Kars, earthquakes and radon; the third, wildfire, counts only against a town.
Its place: #703 of 866 in Ontario and #1,894 of 2,589 Canadian towns.
How sure: The seismic figure is a long-run average from NRCan’s model, not a prediction. Only 64 homes were tested in the survey area, so the radon share is rough. Small fires and grass fires are largely missing from the national burned-area record.
Wildfire is rare near North Gower - Kars: 0% of the land within 25 km burned since 1986, 0% within 5 km
Fires mapped since 1986 around where North Gower - Kars’ residents live, and the fuel next to their homes.
The land within 25 km of North Gower - Kars burns at 0.000% a year on average, the low band; the typical Canadian town: 0.000%.
The forest starts beyond town: 2.8% of the land within 5 km of North Gower - Kars’ homes is forest fuel, against 12% within 25 km.
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 Ontario · highest of 871
To three decimals the burn rate around North Gower - Kars is zero, as for 638 of the 871 towns in Ontario, while Sioux Lookout reaches 0.16%.
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.
The low band holds 92% of Canada’s 2,610 towns, and North Gower - Kars sits at its very bottom; only 7.5% are above it.
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.
Flooding around North Gower - Kars is mapped in 7 studies, the newest by Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
Flood studies whose area touches North Gower - Kars, from NRCan’s inventory, each linked to its owner.
7 studies on the inventory touch North Gower - Kars, the newest Rideau Valley Conservation Authority’s from 2019, and their areas can be large, so they say maps exist, not that the town floods.
| Study | By | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mud Creek | Rideau Valley Conservation Authority | 2019 | final |
| Rideau River, Kars to Burrits Rapids | Rideau Valley Conservation Authority | 2017 | final |
| Rideau River, Hogs Back to Kars | Rideau Valley Conservation Authority | 2017 | final |
| Kemptville Creek | Rideau Valley Conservation Authority | 2009 | final |
| North Gower | Rideau Valley Conservation Authority | 2006 | final |
| Jock River | Rideau Valley Conservation Authority | 2005 | final |
| Steven Creek | Rideau Valley Conservation Authority | 1995 | final |
Towns with a flood study on file
North Gower - Kars is one of the 69% of towns in Ontario with a flood study on file; across Canada it is 58%.
NRCan Canada Flood Map Inventory: a study footprint touching the town’s boundary; towns of 2,500 people or more.
The 7 studies touching North Gower - Kars are spread over time, from the 1990s to the 2010s.
Study dates as the NRCan inventory lists them, one count per study touching North Gower - Kars.
Flood mapping is shown for North Gower - Kars to be opened and checked, never turned into a grade.
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.”
Natural Resources Canada, Canada Flood Map Inventory; links go to each study’s owner.
Earthquakes cost buildings in North Gower - Kars $0.15 per $1,000 a year
NRCan’s seismic risk model: the damage shaking is expected to do to buildings each year, on average over many years.
At $0.15 per $1,000, North Gower - Kars carries roughly 5 times the typical Canadian town’s earthquake risk ($0.030).
Behind earthquake risk sits data gathered across the city of Ottawa, with North Gower - Kars one part of it.
Shaking damage a year per $1,000 of building value
The typical town in Ontario expects $0.043 a year; North Gower - Kars expects $0.15, and Alexandria $0.21.
NRCan seismic risk model (2022): mean yearly building loss per $1,000 of value; medians of towns of 2,500 people or more.
North Gower - Kars sits above most of Canada’s 2,611 towns on earthquake risk; 15% are higher.
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).
The loss is to North Gower - Kars’ buildings alone, from ground shaking; infrastructure and secondary hazards are left out.
Natural Resources Canada, Canada’s Seismic Risk Model (2022), by census subdivision (2016 boundaries; a few 2021 subdivisions take their residents’ mean).
Radon about average around North Gower - Kars: 6.2% over the guideline
Health Canada’s survey of long-term home tests: the share above the 200 Bq/m³ guideline.
6.2% of tested homes around North Gower - Kars were over the guideline, much like the typical Canadian town at 6.6%. North Gower - Kars shares its radon tests numbers with the rest of the City of Ottawa Health Unit.
Tested homes over 200 Bq/m³
Over 600 Bq/m³
The median in Ontario is 4% over 200 Bq/m³; the survey area around North Gower - Kars has 6.2%.
Health Canada radon survey (2009–2011), by 2007 health region; medians of towns of 2,500 people or more.
North Gower - Kars is in the 5–10% band with 37% of Canada’s 2,611 towns; 26% have more.
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.
One home in North Gower - Kars can be high while next door is low; a three-month test settles it.
Health Canada, Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011).
Weather and fire alerts for North Gower - Kars
Alerts for North Gower - Kars 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 North Gower - Kars 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 North Gower - Kars’ neighbours compare on hazards
The same four hazards for the places next door.
| Town | Wildfire | Quake $/1,000 | Radon | Flood study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Gower - Kars | Low | $0.15 | 6.2% | Yes |
| Osgoode - Vernon 6,398 · 8.6 km | Low | $0.15 | 6.2% | Yes |
| Manotick 8,770 · 10 km | Low | $0.15 | 6.2% | Yes |
| Richmond 9,526 · 13 km | Low | $0.15 | 6.2% | Yes |
| Stonebridge - Half Moon Bay 28,714 · 14 km | Low | $0.15 | 6.2% | Yes |
| Munster - Ashton 6,372 · 15 km | Low | $0.15 | 6.2% | Yes |
| Chapman Mills 12,075 · 15 km | Low | $0.15 | 6.2% | Yes |
Richmond burns a little more than North Gower - Kars, in the same low band (low here).
Radon is the survey area’s figure, so neighbours in one area share it.
Get ready for what North Gower - Kars faces
What to do about the hazards North Gower - Kars 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap the water heater down.
- Keep 72 hours of supplies.
- Has it had a radon test?
- Check the address on the flood map.
- Are flood and wildfire insured?
- Is earthquake cover included?
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Earthquakes are modelled. NRCan models what earthquakes would cost buildings each year on average, subdivision by subdivision; North Gower - Kars’ figure is its subdivision’s.
- Flood studies aren’t flood zones. Flood studies cover areas of every size, which is why the page lists them for North Gower - Kars without grading them.
- Wildfire counts one way. Wildfire is read from the national burned-area record around North Gower - Kars’ homes since 1986, a history of fire that may lower Risk but never raises it.
- Radon is a survey. Radon figures pool the survey’s home tests by area: postal areas once their boundaries arrive, the 2007 health region around North Gower - Kars until then.
Questions about flooding and hazards in North Gower - Kars
How is North Gower - Kars’s Hazard risk Grade worked out?
North Gower - Kars’ Hazard risk grade is C+, built on earthquakes and radon with a one-sided wildfire input.
How big is the earthquake risk in North Gower - Kars?
About $0.15 a year per $1,000 of building value, NRCan’s long-run expectation for North Gower - Kars.
Is radon a problem in North Gower - Kars?
In Health Canada’s survey, 6.2% of 64 homes tested in North Gower - Kars’ area were above 200 Bq/m³, though only a test tells you about one house.
Does North Gower - Kars flood?
A flood study covers North Gower - Kars on Canada’s Flood Map Inventory; open the owner’s map to check a street, since flood isn’t graded.
Is North Gower - Kars at risk of wildfire?
Hardly at all on record: 0% of the land within 25 km of North Gower - Kars since 1986, a low band, though small grass fires aren’t mapped.
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).