Radon is a colourless, odourless radioactive gas that seeps out of the bedrock and accumulates indoors, and it is the second leading cause of lung cancer in Canada after smoking. Eastern Ontario sits in an elevated zone. The thing that makes it worth a page rather than a paragraph is that the risk is invisible and the test is cheap — you cannot smell it, no home inspection catches it by default, and a neighbour's result tells you nothing about your own house. Two homes on the same road can differ by a factor of ten.
| Long-term mail-in test kit (91+ days) | $60 – $100 |
| Professional long-term measurement | $150 – $350 |
| Short-term test (screening only) | $50 – $150 |
| Sub-slab depressurisation system, installed | $2,500 – $4,500 |
| Complex or multi-suction-point system | $4,500 – $7,500 |
| Post-mitigation verification test | $100 – $250 |
| Sump-pit sealing / crawlspace membrane | $800 – $3,000 |
| New-build rough-in (at construction) | $500 – $1,500 |
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Only a long-term winter test tells you anything
Health Canada's action level is 200 becquerels per cubic metre, and the measurement that decides it is a long-term test of at least 91 days. Short-term tests exist and have their place in a real-estate transaction where nobody has three months, but they screen rather than decide — radon swings enormously with weather, ground frost and how the house is being ventilated. Start in the heating season. Winter is when levels peak, because the house is closed up and the stack effect is actively drawing air out of the soil beneath your basement slab. A test started in July on an open house will read low and tell you nothing useful.
What mitigation actually is
The standard fix is sub-slab depressurisation: a pipe through the basement floor into the gravel below, connected to a continuously running fan that vents above the roofline. It sounds crude and it is extremely effective — a properly designed system routinely takes a house from well above the action level to under 100 Bq/m³. Cost runs $2,500 to $4,500 for a straightforward installation, more where the footprint is broken up, there is a crawlspace, or multiple suction points are needed. Always pay for a post-mitigation verification test; a system that has been installed but never confirmed is a fan and a hope. If you are building or doing a major renovation, a rough-in at construction stage is a fraction of the retrofit cost.
The credential to ask for
C-NRPP — the Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program — is the national certification for radon professionals, and it certifies measurement and mitigation separately. Health Canada points to it as the accountability structure for homeowners, and some provinces have moved toward requiring it for paid work. It is the one credential worth checking before you hire, and it is a fair filter: a mitigator who is not certified is not someone you want cutting a hole in your foundation and altering the pressure regime of your house. On the testing side, look for a C-NRPP-listed detector and a lab certificate of analysis rather than a consumer gadget reading.
Common questions
What is the radon action level in Canada?
200 becquerels per cubic metre, set by Health Canada. Above that, Health Canada recommends remediation — within two years above 200, and within one year above 600. There is no level considered entirely risk-free, so many people mitigate below 200 as well.
How much does radon testing cost?
A long-term mail-in test kit runs $60 to $100 and is the sensible starting point for a homeowner. Professional long-term measurement is $150 to $350. Short-term tests at $50 to $150 screen quickly but do not give you a number you should act on.
How much does radon mitigation cost in Ottawa?
A standard sub-slab depressurisation system runs $2,500 to $4,500 installed. Complex homes needing multiple suction points, or with crawlspaces requiring a sealed membrane, run $4,500 to $7,500. Budget another $100 to $250 for the post-mitigation verification test, which is not optional if you want to know it worked.
When should I test for radon?
During the heating season, and for at least 91 days. Winter is when levels peak because the house is sealed and the stack effect draws soil air in beneath the slab. A short summer test on a ventilated house will read low and mislead you.
What does C-NRPP mean and does it matter?
The Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program — Canada's national certification for radon professionals, with separate certification for measurement and for mitigation. Health Canada points to it as the accountability structure available to homeowners. It is the credential worth checking before hiring anyone to test or mitigate for pay.
Is radon a problem in the Manotick area?
Eastern Ontario is an elevated-potential region, and rural homes are not exempt — if anything, homes on their own foundations with basements and sumps have plenty of pathways. But potential maps tell you about a region, not a house. Two homes on the same road can differ by a factor of ten, which is exactly why testing is the only answer.
Sources for the figures and rules on this page
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