Airdrie • Community Guide
The Canals
Southwest Airdrie, built around the water that gave it its name. Homes backing onto the canals and the pathways beside them, a short walk from downtown, and a neighbour to Bayside that is often mistaken for it.
Why People Choose It
Water, Pathways, And A Short Walk To Downtown.
The Canals sits in southwest Airdrie, west of 8 Street SW, with Woodside to the north, Sagewood to the west and Bayside to the south. That puts it closer to Airdrie’s downtown and Main Street than most of the newer southwest communities.
Genesis Land Development brought the outline plan to the City, and it was approved in July 2001. The plan laid out roughly 800 single family lots and more than 400 multi family homes around a system of linear waterways, with parks, pathways and a school site woven through it. The Canals is one of five communities in the City’s West Airdrie plan, alongside Sagewood, Bayside, Bayview and Baysprings.
The Housing Mix
Mostly detached homes, many backing directly onto the water or a pathway, plus semi detached homes, townhomes and condominiums on the multi family sites. Only some homes back directly onto the water, so it is worth asking which side of the street a listing is on.
The Water
A network of canals and walking paths shared with Bayview and Bayside. The canals are part of the City’s stormwater system as well as the view, which matters for what you can do on them. More on that below.
Schools
Rocky View Schools designates Ralph McCall for kindergarten to grade 5, C.W. Perry for grades 6 to 9 and Bert Church for grades 10 to 12. Catholic students are served by Our Lady Queen of Peace through the Calgary Catholic School District.
Getting Around
Airdrie Transit runs local routes through the city and commuter routes to CrossIron Mills and Calgary. Check the current route map for the stop nearest a specific home. The QEII is a short drive east.
On The Market
The Canals Homes For Sale.
Live MLS® listings, updated throughout the day. Nothing here asks for your email.
Worth Knowing
The Canals Are Beautiful. They Are Also Stormwater.
When The Canals was planned in 2001, the idea was a recreational waterway you could canoe in summer and skate on in winter. That is not how the City treats them today, and a buyer should hear it before they picture the kayak.
The City of Airdrie says stormwater ponds, naming East Lake and the Canals, are not intended for recreational use such as swimming, fishing or kayaking, and that skating is not permitted. The reasons it gives are practical: water levels can change suddenly, water quality cannot be guaranteed, and there are electric pumps in the system.
Buy it for the view, the pathways and the light on the water. Not for the paddleboard.
On enforcement, as of April 2026: a proposed bylaw that would have fined swimming, skating, fishing and boating in stormwater ponds and canals was rejected at committee, so there is no fine for those. Jumping or diving from bridges into the water is a different matter. That has been banned under Airdrie’s streets bylaw since June 2025, with a $500 fine.
The brown tint some people notice in the water comes from natural tannins, which the developer has said do not cause health concerns, and the City circulates the water to add oxygen.
Next Door
The Canals Or Bayside?
They share the same waterway and a lot of people use the names interchangeably, but the City of Airdrie treats them as separate communities. The Canals is the northern part, closer to downtown. Bayside runs south of it toward Yankee Valley Boulevard, and Bayview and Baysprings sit further along the same system.
If you are looking at both, the useful comparison is usually age of home and distance to what you use every day, not the water itself. Our Bayside guide covers the southern side.
Our Track Record
Homes We’ve Sold In The Canals.
We have sold twelve homes in The Canals since 2018. The median took 40 days, and the range runs from 12 days to 162, which tells you more than the median does: a canal backing, a bungalow or an unfinished basement can each change the timeline. Our most recent sales here have taken longer than our earlier ones, and we would rather show you that than hide it. Linked homes have their own page, including 69 Canals Circle SW, the bungalow that took fifty four days and why the sellers did not cut the price.
The full map of what we have sold lives here. The rest of the city is in our Airdrie guide, and every community we have written about is on the Gorgeous Communities page.
Good To Know
The Canals Questions.
Where is The Canals in Airdrie?
Southwest Airdrie, west of 8 Street SW, with Woodside to the north, Sagewood to the west and Bayside to the south. It is one of the closest southwest communities to Airdrie’s downtown.
Can you kayak or skate on the Airdrie canals?
The City of Airdrie says the canals are stormwater infrastructure and are not intended for recreational use such as swimming, fishing or kayaking, and that skating is not permitted, because water levels change suddenly, water quality cannot be guaranteed and there are pumps in the system. As of April 2026 there is no fine for those activities, but jumping or diving from bridges into the water carries a $500 fine.
Is The Canals the same as Bayside?
No. They share the same waterway, but the City of Airdrie treats them as separate communities. The Canals is the northern, older portion. Bayside, Bayview and Baysprings sit to the south and southwest.
What schools serve The Canals?
For the public system, Rocky View Schools designates Ralph McCall School for kindergarten to grade 5, C.W. Perry School for grades 6 to 9 and Bert Church High School for grades 10 to 12. Catholic students attend Our Lady Queen of Peace through the Calgary Catholic School District. Designations can change, so confirm your address with the Rocky View Schools locator.
Who developed The Canals?
Genesis Land Development Corp. The City approved the outline plan in July 2001, laying out single family lots, multi family sites, parks, pathways and the canal system.
Thinking About The Canals?
Tell us whether you want the water, the pathway or just the location, and we will tell you which streets fit and what they are actually doing.
Tara Molina Real Estate Group | Royal LePage Benchmark