Emerald Woods and Sawmill Creek

At a glance

A south-side neighbourhood of apartment buildings, townhouses and parkland along Sawmill Creek. Nearly six in ten households rent, and it has a young, diverse population.

Median home value

$500K

2021 census, owner estimate · city $620K

Residents

6,390

scaled estimate for mid-2025, up from 5,714 at the 2021 census

Households renting

58%

city 36%

Households in condos

27%

city 16%

What the numbers mean

• Owners valued the median home at $500K in the 2021 census, 19% below the Ottawa median of $620K. Prices have moved since, so treat it as a relative guide.
• 58% of households rent, well above the 36% city-wide, so expect a younger, more mobile mix of neighbours.
• 21% of residents are under 15, versus 17% city-wide. Expect busy schools, parks and playgrounds.
• 27% of households live in condominiums (16% city-wide), so buying here usually means a condo.
• The median monthly rent is about $1,360, and about 32% of households spent 30% or more of their income on housing in 2021.

Who lives here

Share of residents by age, scaled estimate for mid-2025, up from 5,714 at the 2021 census.

Homes

Share of households by type, scaled estimate for mid-2025, up from 5,714 at the 2021 census.

Daily errands on foot¹

Places within the neighbourhood or a 5-minute walk of its edge, compared with the typical neighbourhood in Ottawa.

Supermarkets

1

city median 2

Cafés and bakeries

4

city median 9

Pharmacies and clinics

10

city median 10

Playgrounds and dog parks

22

city median 34

Upfront closing costs²

Ontario charges a tiered land transfer tax, up to 2.5% on the part of a home over $2 million. Government fees at the median home price: This uses the 2021 census home-value estimate, and today's prices are higher, so the real bill will be larger.

Ontario land transfer tax

$6,480

on $500K

Typical apartment rent nearby³

Emerald Woods and Sawmill Creek sits in CMHC's Gloucester North/Orleans survey zone. October 2025 average rent of purpose-built rental apartments in that zone:

Studio

$1,342

+$10 vs metro average

1 bedroom

$1,638

+$45 vs metro average

2 bedroom

$1,886

−$30 vs metro average

3 bedroom or more

$1,806

−$284 vs metro average

How it's changing

Ottawa doesn't publish building permits by neighbourhood, so we can't chart construction here yet.

Safety⁴

Reported incidents in 2025 (the latest full year Ottawa Police publish by location), per 1,000 residents, compared with the median of 105 Ottawa neighbourhoods.

Reported crime

13.3

per 1,000 · above the 7.9 median

Violent crime

10.0

per 1,000 · median 5.1

Property crime

3.3

per 1,000 · median 2.8

• Reported crime runs about 1.7× the median Ottawa neighbourhood: 13.3 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, versus 7.9.
• The most common reported crime is assault, 41% of the total. 25% of incidents are property crime.
• Reported crime has risen since 2021 (61 to 76 incidents a year).
• Busy main streets, transit and nightlife bring in visitors, and incidents are counted where they happen, not where people live.

Reported crime by year