OTTAWA – Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says growth in overall housing starts was flat during the first half of the year compared with 2024, though there were significant regional differences.
The agency says cities like Calgary, Edmonton, Montréal, Ottawa and Halifax built homes at paces that were either at or near records or in line with historical averages in the first half of the year.
However, slowdowns in Canada’s two most expensive real estate markets weighed on the overall number of housing starts.
Vancouver saw a decline in housing starts during the first half of the year compared with 2024, while Toronto was on pace for the lowest total annual housing starts in 30 years.
CMHC says homebuilding activity in Toronto fell to its lowest point since 1996 on a per-capita basis, mainly due to a 60 per cent drop in condominium starts.
Tania Bourassa-Ochoa, deputy chief economist for CMHC, says the ongoing construction slowdown in the housing market presents risks to future housing supply.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2025.
