Saskatoon has the best radon numbers of the four Prairie cities in the latest national survey, and roughly 1 in 6 tested homes still came in over the Canadian guideline. That is the whole case for radon testing in Saskatoon. Your city’s average is not your basement, and the only way to know what your family breathes downstairs is a test that runs for at least three months.
This guide covers what the numbers actually say, how to test properly, what a fix looks like if your result is high, and what it costs. We quote real figures only, and we say where they come from.
What the numbers say about radon levels in Saskatoon
Radon is measured in becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m3), which is a count of radioactive decays per second in a cubic metre of air. Health Canada’s guideline is 200 Bq/m3, averaged over a year in the part of the house you actually use. For comparison with American sources, 37 Bq/m3 equals 1 pCi/L, so 200 Bq/m3 is about 5.4 pCi/L.
The 2024 Cross-Canada Survey, run by Evict Radon with Health Canada, gives Saskatoon its own row. Of the Saskatoon homes tested in that survey:
- 17.8% were at or above 200 Bq/m3.
- Another 44.3% landed between 100 and 199 Bq/m3.
- The average (geometric mean) was 107.2 Bq/m3.
- The highest reading was 820 Bq/m3.
Two cautions. These are homes whose owners chose to test, not a random sample, and the report itself says the figures could shift once they are properly weighted. And that middle band matters: Health Canada says there is “no level that is considered risk free” below 200. Plenty of Saskatoon homes sit close enough to the line that a guess is worthless.
For context, of the Regina homes tested in the same survey, 46.6% were at or above 200. Across Saskatchewan and Manitoba together, the survey puts it at “approximately 1 in 3”. It also found rural Prairie homes ran higher than urban ones (26.7% against 15.9%), which is worth knowing if you live on an acreage outside the city. The survey’s own line is blunt: “There are no areas of Canada that are ‘radon-free’.”
Why bother at all? According to Health Canada, radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, about 16% of lung cancers are estimated to come from it, and that works out to more than 3,000 lung cancer deaths in Canada each year. For smokers it is the second leading cause. That’s the health case. It doesn’t need dressing up.
If you have no result yet, the first step is a long-term test, not a contractor. Call us at (204) 555-0173 or use the contact form and we can explain your testing options and, if you need one, put you in touch with a certified measurement professional.
How to do radon testing in Saskatoon properly
Health Canada’s method is not complicated, but people skip parts of it all the time.
Test for at least three months. The minimum is 91 days, run during the heating season, and 3 to 12 months is better. Radon levels rise and fall from day to day and season to season. A few days tells you very little about the annual average, which is the number the guideline is built on. Any test shorter than 91 days should be repeated as a long-term test.
Put it in the lowest lived-in level. That means the lowest floor someone uses for four or more hours a day: a finished basement, a rec room, a basement bedroom or suite. Not the crawl space, not the furnace or laundry room, not an unfinished basement nobody sits in.
Place it where you breathe. At least 30 cm above the floor and 30 cm from walls, away from the sump, heat registers, vents and windows. Our guide on where to place a radon detector goes through the fussy details.
Know what you are holding. A long-term test kit is mailed to a lab at the end. One Canadian supplier, HomeRadonTest.ca, lists its kit at $70.00 before tax. Digital monitors and short-term tests are screening tools. They are useful for a first look, but a digital monitor used for a long-term result should be one on C-NRPP’s approved list. There’s more on this in long-term vs short-term radon tests.
Saskatoon libraries have lent digital radon detectors, and Lung Saskatchewan supported that launch. We have not been able to confirm the current season or loan length, so check with your branch. A borrowed monitor is a fine way to get curious. It is not a substitute for the three-month test. See borrowing a radon detector from the library for how to read one sensibly.
The radon testing page lays out the full testing process if you want it in one place.
Three Saskatoon situations, and what each one needs
These are made-up examples built from common situations, not real customers. The figures are real and sourced.
The library monitor that reads “fine-ish”. A 1960s bungalow with a basement bedroom for a teenager. The family borrows a library monitor in November and after a week it shows around 150 Bq/m3. Under 200, so done? Not yet. A week in early winter is a screening number, and that 100 to 199 band is where 44.3% of the tested Saskatoon homes fell. The sensible move is a long-term kit (about $70 from one supplier) in the bedroom, left through to spring. If the annual result comes back under 200, they have an answer they can trust. If it comes back over, they have a result worth taking to a certified mitigator. If they might apply for the Lungs Matter grant later, the kit needs to be a C-NRPP certified one, so check before buying.
The two-storey with a radon condition in the offer. A buyer puts a radon condition into an offer on a Saskatoon two-storey with a finished basement. The problem is time: a proper test takes 91 days, and most closings don’t wait that long. Short-term tests can screen, but they can’t give the annual average the guideline refers to. There is no Saskatchewan rule requiring radon testing or disclosure at sale, so how the condition is worded, and whether a holdback makes sense, is a question for your realtor or lawyer, not for us. What we can say is that nobody should promise a buyer a fixed mitigation price sight unseen. The radon testing for home sales page covers the options.
The capped pipe in a newer basement. The owners of a newer build find a sealed, labelled pipe sticking out of the basement slab. That is probably a radon rough-in. The National Building Code added it in 2010, and the 2020 codes have been in force in Saskatchewan since 1 January 2024. It is not a radon system. The code guidance is direct: “the depressurization rough-in does not actively reduce radon levels.” A fan and a discharge pipe have to be added. The owners still test first, because a rough-in in the floor tells you nothing about the number in the room. If the result is high, a certified mitigation professional can tell them whether the rough-in is usable. A 2013 study of Winnipeg show homes found “almost half are in inaccessible locations”, so don’t assume.
Radon mitigation in Saskatoon: what a fix looks like
If a long-term test comes back over 200 Bq/m3, Health Canada recommends corrective action “within 1 year”. That is a year, so you don’t need to panic-book the first person who answers the phone. Remember too that 200 is a guideline. No Saskatchewan law requires a homeowner to test or mitigate. The decision is yours.
The usual fix is sub-slab depressurization, also called active soil depressurization. A pipe goes through the basement slab, a fan pulls soil gas from underneath the house, and the pipe discharges it outside. Sump pits must be sealed as part of the job. After the install, you retest to confirm the level actually came down. How the pipe is routed, how many suction points are needed and where the fan sits all depend on the house.
A few things change the job, and a good quote will spell them out:
- Crawl spaces, or a house that needs more than one suction point, cost more.
- An existing rough-in may help, if it is in a usable spot.
- A finished basement can limit where the pipe can go.
Health Canada recommends using a C-NRPP certified mitigation professional. C-NRPP is the Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program, run by CARST with Health Canada oversight. It is voluntary: no province licenses radon contractors, so the certificate is the main check you have. Measurement and mitigation are separate certifications, and you can confirm anyone you are considering in the C-NRPP professional directory. We explain the program in what C-NRPP certification means.
Please don’t treat opening windows or running a fan in the basement as a fix. It isn’t one.
The radon mitigation page explains the system in more detail.
What radon testing and mitigation cost in Saskatoon
We could not find a single Saskatoon contractor who publishes a mitigation price. So we won’t invent one. Here is what we can source, labelled by where it comes from. All figures are in Canadian dollars, before tax.
| Item | Figure (CAD) | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Long-term radon test kit | $70.00 per kit | HomeRadonTest.ca, one supplier’s listed price |
| Library digital monitor | Free with a card | Saskatoon libraries have lent them; terms unconfirmed |
| Mitigation system, Winnipeg | about $1,500 to $3,000 | Range advertised by Winnipeg installers |
| Mitigation system, Regina | $2,500 to $3,500 | One Regina installer’s quote; crawl spaces or extra suction points higher |
| Mitigation system, national | $2,000 to $3,000 | Health Canada (2014), national figure |
| Replacement fan, later on | $200 to $300 | Health Canada (2014), national figure |
| Fan electricity | about $50 to $75 a year | Health Canada (2014), national figure |
Read that table as a rough frame, not a Saskatoon price list. The nearest Prairie figures are Winnipeg’s and Regina’s, and your quote could land inside those ranges or outside them. Only a certified professional who has seen your basement can quote your house. Our radon mitigation cost page has more detail on what drives the number.
If you already have a long-term result over 200, the next step is a written quote from a C-NRPP certified mitigation professional. Call (204) 555-0173 or send the contact form, and we will try to put you in touch with one who serves Saskatoon.
Help with the cost in Saskatchewan
There is some help, though none of it is large and some of it comes with strings.
Lungs Matter (Canadian Lung Association). Up to $1,500 toward mitigation for low- or moderate-income households, meaning household income below the provincial median. You need a long-term test of at least 90 days from a C-NRPP certified test kit showing a result over 200, plus a quote from a C-NRPP certified mitigation professional. Homeowner-level digital monitors don’t qualify. It doesn’t cover work already done, and funding is described as limited. Apply before you book.
Saskatchewan Home Renovation Tax Credit. The province offers a 10.5% credit on up to $4,000 of eligible home renovation expenses, saving up to $420 a year, or up to $525 for seniors on $5,000 of expenses. The government’s own list doesn’t name radon. Lung Saskatchewan says radon mitigation counts as an eligible expense; confirm with CRA before you count on it. Our post on the Saskatchewan radon tax credit goes through it.
Lung Saskatchewan. Lung Saskatchewan has offered reimbursement in the past; check its site for what is available now.
Federal help. There is currently no federal radon tax credit that we could find.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is radon a problem in Saskatoon?
Of the Saskatoon homes tested in the 2024 Cross-Canada Survey, 17.8% were at or above 200 Bq/m3, roughly 1 in 6. That is the lowest of the four Prairie cities in the survey, but it is not zero, and another 44.3% fell between 100 and 199. The only way to know about your own house is a long-term test.
How long does a radon test take in Saskatoon?
Health Canada recommends at least three months, with a minimum of 91 days during the heating season, and 3 to 12 months is better. A library monitor or short-term test gives you a screening number in days or weeks. If your test ran less than 91 days, repeat it as a long-term test before making decisions.
How much does radon mitigation cost in Saskatoon?
No Saskatoon contractor we found publishes a price. Winnipeg installers advertise systems from about $1,500 to $3,000, and a Regina installer quotes $2,500 to $3,500, with crawl spaces or extra suction points costing more. A C-NRPP certified mitigation professional will quote your house after seeing it.
Do I have to fix radon before I sell my house in Saskatchewan?
We found no Saskatchewan rule that requires radon testing, disclosure or mitigation at sale, and 200 Bq/m3 is a guideline, not a legal limit. Saskatchewan sellers do have to disclose known latent defects, and buyers can write radon conditions into offers. How that applies to your sale is a question for your realtor or lawyer.