November 13, 2026

Living in Russell, Ontario: A Local Guide for Buyers

Last updated: November 13, 2026

By Nicolas Sigounis, REALTOR®, EXIT Realty Matrix, Brokerage

Russell, Ontario is a river village southeast of Ottawa. The Castor River runs through it, and Concession Street is its main street.

The village shares a municipal government with Embrun. Both sit in the Township of Russell, part of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell. Same council, same tax bill, same water system. The day to day life in each village is not the same, though, and this page is about Russell alone.

Every fact below comes from a public source listed at the end. If I could not confirm something, I tell you.

I live in Casselman, in the same county, so I know this part of the region as a neighbour.

Russell, Ontario by the Numbers

Two sets of numbers describe Russell. It helps to keep them apart.

The village itself

Statistics Canada draws a “population centre” around the built up part of Russell. Its 2021 Census Profile for that area shows:

6,135 residents in 2021
5,039 residents in 2016
Growth of 21.8% in five years
2,301 private dwellings
A median age of 39.2 and an average household of 2.7 people

A population centre follows where houses actually stand. It is not a legal village line, so treat it as a close estimate of the village, not an exact count.

The whole Township

Most other census tables only go down to the Township of Russell, which also takes in Embrun and the countryside. The Township had 19,598 residents in 2021, up from 16,520 in 2016.

So what does that tell you? Russell village grew faster than the Township as a whole over those five years. Roughly one Township resident in three lived in the village in 2021.

English and French in Russell, Ontario

Language data exists only at the Township level. For the Township in 2021:

56.4% could hold a conversation in both English and French.
40.0% knew English only, up from 36.8% in 2016.
English was the mother tongue of 10,380 people, French of 7,355.

Nothing in the census splits Russell from Embrun on language, so I will not claim one is more English than the other.

There is one local signal. The Township says the Russell library branch carries books in both languages, with most of them in English.

What would I do? If daily life in French matters to you, visit on a weekday. Listen in the grocery store and at school pickup.

Schools in Russell, Ontario

Russell has the Township’s English high schools, both public and Catholic.

Before you rely on any school listed below, call the board with the exact address. Boundaries shift, and the closest school is not always the assigned one.

Schools assigned to a sample Russell address

For a home on Mill Street in the village of Russell, the MLS school report lists these designated catchment schools. Your address may differ, so always confirm with the board.

English public: Russell Public School (Pre kindergarten to Grade 6, 14 Mill Street) and Russell High School (Grades 7 to 12, 982 North Russell Road).
French public: ÉEP De la Rivière Castor (Pre kindergarten to Grade 6, 100 Maheu Street), L’Académie de la Seigneurie (Pre kindergarten to Grade 12, 731 Des Pommiers Street) and ÉSP Gisèle Lalonde (Grades 7 to 12, 500 Millennium Boulevard).
English Catholic: St. Mother Teresa Catholic School (Pre kindergarten to Grade 6, 1035 Concession Street) and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School (Grades 7 to 12, 1211 South Russell Road).
French Catholic: ÉÉC Saint Joseph (Pre kindergarten to Grade 6, 1008 North Russell Road) and ÉSC Embrun (Grades 7 to 12, 1276 St Jacques Road).

Is the school run part of your daily routine? In Russell, it often is.

Upper Canada District School Board (English public)

Russell Public School, 14 Mill Street
Russell High School, 982 North Russell Road

The high school says its family of schools offers French Immersion and Core French starting in Kindergarten.

Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (English Catholic)

St. Mother Teresa Catholic School, 1035 Concession Street
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School, 1211 South Russell Road

Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien (French Catholic)

École élémentaire catholique Saint Joseph, 1008 chemin Russell Nord, from Kindergarten to Grade 6

Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario (French public)

A new school, École élémentaire publique Russell, is being built at 963 chemin Russell Nord. The board plans room for 268 students from Kindergarten to Grade 6.
The board’s forecast: boundary consultation in 2027 and an opening in September 2028. These are plans, not promises.

I could not confirm which French high schools serve Russell addresses. Ask each French board directly.

The Castor River and the Russell Weir

In 1967, South Nation Conservation built the Russell Weir on the Castor River, downstream from a dam site that dates to 1916. The Township describes it as a concrete wall 79 metres long and about 4 metres high. It holds back a pool of water inside the village and keeps the river flowing through dry months.

Why should a buyer care? The weir is part of how water levels are managed here. If a home backs onto the river, ask the seller what they have seen in spring, and check the property with South Nation Conservation before you firm up an offer.

Outdoors in Russell, Ontario

W.E. Burton Conservation Area

South Nation Conservation runs this area on the south side of the river in the village. It offers about 3 km of easy trails along the Castor, a view of the dam, and a picnic shelter. People come to hike, watch birds, snowshoe and ski. Leashed dogs are welcome. Anglers fish for smallmouth bass and yellow perch from the shore. There is no boat launch.

The Russell end of the trail

The New York Central Recreational Trail links Russell to Embrun along an old rail line. The paved route is roughly 10 km and ends in Russell at 290 Route 200. Free parking is available at 550 Notre Dame Street and on First Avenue. There are portable toilets at each end.

A few rules worth knowing: the trail is closed from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., dogs stay on a leash no longer than 2.4 metres, and electric bikes may only be ridden under pedal power. In winter, the full length is groomed within five days of a 10 cm snowfall.

Parks

Keith M. Boyd Park is on Loucks Drive. I could not confirm its features from a Township source, so go and see it yourself.
Eadie/Station Trail Park is getting a splash pad, a tennis court and a four court pickleball pad. The Township’s pages still list “estimated completion late summer 2026.” I could not confirm whether they are open.

Arena, Pool and What Changes Next

Frank Kinnaird Russell Arena

At 1084 Concession Street, with an outdoor rink on the same site. Public skating runs on Thursday mornings (a seniors session, then a family session), Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon. The canteen is called Fry Me to the Moon.

Russell Centennial Pool

An outdoor pool that opens in summer and is closed now for the season. It hosts swimming lessons in July and August and the Barracudas summer swim team.

The bigger picture

The Township is completing a Recreation Complex in Embrun with three rinks and an indoor pool. The Township says it will study the future of the existing arenas and halls, with a master planning study expected in October 2027.

What is unknown? What happens to the Russell arena once the new complex opens. If being able to walk to the rink matters to you, follow that study.

The Russell Fair and Other Dates

The Russell Agricultural Society runs the Russell Fair from its grounds at 1076 Concession Street. The 2026 fair ran August 13 to 16. Local coverage described cattle shows, an education barn with live animals, a horse ring, truck and tractor pulls, a midway, and homecraft entries in the curling club building.

The 2027 dates were not posted when I checked. Look at the Society’s website in the spring.

The Russell Christmas Parade is on Sunday, November 29, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. It travels along Concession Street from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School to Russell High School. Township Fire Services organize it, and people collect food and money for the Community Food Bank along the route.

Notice the timing. Embrun holds its parade the evening before, so you can catch both.

Errands on Concession Street

Russell has a working main street, but I confirmed only a few businesses from their own websites:

Foodland Russell, 148 Craig Street, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day
Downtown IDA Pharmacy, 1106 Concession Street, open weekdays and Saturdays, closed Sundays

Other cafés and restaurants operate in the village. I have not listed them because I could not confirm their details from their own sources. Walk Concession Street and judge for yourself.

Commuting to Ottawa from Russell, Ontario

What the census measured

For the whole Township in 2021, the average one way commute was 26.2 minutes, down from 30.3 minutes in 2016. Of 6,855 commuters, 87.5% drove themselves and 0.6% used public transit.

The 2021 figure was collected during the pandemic, when many people worked from home. It also blends local jobs with Ottawa jobs. Treat it as a floor, not a forecast.

Transit (as of November 2026)

The Township no longer runs its own commuter bus. That service ended in December 2020.
The Township refers residents to 417 Bus Lines, a private operator. I could not confirm its routes or times.
OC Transpo route 222 runs on weekdays from the Vars Park and Ride.
A Township transit study is under way, with a report to council expected in December 2026 or January 2027.

My advice is simple. Time the drive yourself, at rush hour, before you commit.

Water, Sewer and the Wastewater Plan

Russell’s tap water comes from the City of Ottawa. It travels to the Embrun Reservoir and then on to the Russell water tower. In the Township’s 2025 report, all 156 samples taken in Russell showed no E. coli, and lead results in Russell were below 0.001 mg/L.

Sewage treatment is the open question. In April 2026, the Township and The Nation Municipality began an environmental assessment for a new mechanical treatment plant to serve Embrun, Russell and Limoges. The notice says the Township’s master plan found that the existing lagoon plants in Embrun and Russell will not be enough for the growth expected.

A public information session was held on September 29, 2026. I could not find a confirmed site, cost or completion date.

So what does that mean? Water supply looks steady on the evidence. Sewer capacity and its future cost are still being decided, and that could affect both new building and your bills.

Owning a Home in Russell, Ontario

Taxes

Property taxes are billed by the Township and split among the Township, the United Counties and your school board. Payments are due four times a year, in late March, May, September and November. Rates change every year, so check the Township’s tax page rather than any figure quoted to you.

Water and sewer bills

These arrive every three months. A single family home pays a flat $350 a year for water and $392 a year for sewer, plus $3.41 for each cubic metre used, according to the Township’s rates as of January 1, 2026.

Garbage and recycling

Garbage is collected by automated truck from a 120 litre black bin. Miller Waste has handled recycling since January 1, 2026.

What homes have actually sold for in Russell

Here is what the MLS shows for freehold homes in the village of Russell that sold between August 15 and November 13, 2026. That is 20 sales, which is a small number, so read it with care.

Average sold price: about $634,000. Median sold price: $649,950.
Sold prices ran from $360,000 to $852,500.
Average of 52 days on market. Median of 29 days.
Homes sold for about 99% of their list price on average.
Detached homes were 12 of the 20 sales. Two storeys led at 12 sales, followed by bungalows at 7.

The median is the middle sale. Half of the homes sold for less and half sold for more. Three months is a short window, so treat this as a snapshot and not a forecast. If you want the numbers for a specific street or style of home, ask me.

Source: MLS data through REALM, freehold sales in the village of Russell sold August 15 to November 13, 2026, pulled November 13, 2026.

Russell or Embrun?

People often weigh the two villages against each other. The data I could confirm points to a few honest differences:

Russell holds the English public and English Catholic high schools. Embrun holds the French Catholic high school.
Russell has the river, the weir and the conservation area. Embrun has the new Recreation Complex and the Sports Dome.
Both share the same council, water supply, tax system and wastewater challenge.

Ask yourself two questions. Where will your children go to school? And where will you spend your free hours?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the population of Russell, Ontario?

Statistics Canada counted 6,135 people in the Russell population centre in 2021, up 21.8% from 2016. The whole Township of Russell, which includes Embrun, had 19,598.

Is Russell, Ontario the same as the Township of Russell?

No. Russell is one village inside the Township. Embrun is the other main village, and the Town Hall is there.

What English schools are in Russell, Ontario?

Russell Public School, Russell High School, St. Mother Teresa Catholic School and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School. Confirm the school for any address with the board.

Is there a French school in Russell, Ontario?

Yes. École élémentaire catholique Saint Joseph serves Kindergarten to Grade 6. A French public elementary school is under construction, with a planned opening in September 2028.

When is the Russell Fair?

The 2026 fair ran August 13 to 16. The Russell Agricultural Society had not posted 2027 dates when this page was updated.

Is there a bus from Russell to Ottawa?

As of November 2026, there is no Township run bus. The Township points to 417 Bus Lines and to OC Transpo route 222 from the Vars Park and Ride. Check current schedules before you plan on either.

Where does Russell get its water?

From the City of Ottawa, by way of the Embrun Reservoir and the Russell water tower.

Is sewer capacity a concern in Russell?

The Township is planning a new treatment plant because its master plan found the current lagoons will not keep up with growth. I could not find a confirmed cost or timeline.

One question for you

What would make a typical Tuesday easier for your household: a shorter drive, or a school within walking distance?

Sigounis Properties. We Know Strategy.
If you want to talk it through, reach out to me here.