Housing starts for April 2026

Ottawa, May 15, 2026

The six-month trend in housing starts was higher in April, with an increase of 3.2% to 256,777 units, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The trend measure is a six-month moving average of the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of total housing starts for all areas in Canada.

Actual housing starts were down 1% year-over-year in centres with a population of 10,000 or greater, with 21,805 units recorded in April, compared to 21,938 units in April 2025. The year-to-date total was 71,011 units, up 6% from the same period in 2025, driven by higher starts in British Columbia and Ontario.

The total monthly SAAR of housing starts for all areas in Canada increased 17% in April (279,317 units) compared to March (239,747 units).

New to this release, CMHC is publishing building permit data and additional data from the Starts and Completions Survey (SCS). This includes approved units awaiting housing start, as well as the under-construction inventory and the number of units completed. These indicators show a complete view of the residential construction pipeline and are available for centres with a population of 50,000 or more.

Quotes:

“While the six‑month trend in housing starts rose slightly in April, it follows several consecutive months of decline, underscoring the uneven nature of current construction activity, and month-to-month volatility. Building permit data provides additional context for this pattern, pointing to a construction pipeline that remains subdued, in line with CMHC’s Housing Market Outlook,” said Kevin Hughes, Deputy Chief Economist at CMHC.

“Building permits provide an early signal of future residential construction activity, while housing starts capture construction that has begun and offer the best indication of future housing supply. Together, these measures show how development intentions translate into real construction activity, providing a more complete picture of the residential construction market’s trajectory,” said Mathieu Laberge, CMHC’s Chief Economist and Senior Vice-President of Housing Insights. “This is why CMHC is proactively releasing building permits data alongside Starts and Completions Survey data.”

Key facts:

The rural starts monthly SAAR estimate was 13,694 units.
Among Canada’s three biggest CMAs, Toronto posted a 34% year-over-year increase in actual housing starts this month driven by higher multi-unit. Montréal starts increased 21% due to higher multi-unit starts. Vancouver recorded a 30% decrease due to lower multi-unit and single-detached starts.
Read more about why housing starts matter on CMHC’s Housing Observer.
Monthly Housing Starts and Other Construction Data are accessible in English and French on our website and the CMHC Housing Market Information Portal.
Housing starts data is available on the eleventh business day each month. We will release the May housing starts data on June 15 at 8:15 AM ET.
CMHC uses the trend measure as a complement to the monthly SAAR of housing starts to account for considerable swings in monthly estimates and to obtain a clearer picture of upcoming new housing supply. In some situations, analyzing only SAAR data can be misleading, as the multi-unit segment largely drives the market and can vary significantly from one month to the next.
Read about CMHC's definitions and methodology to better understand the foundations of the Starts and Completions and Market Absorption surveys.

Housing starts facilitate the analysis of monthly, quarterly, and year-over-year activity in the new home market. The data CMHC collects as part of the Starts and Completions and Market Absorption surveys helps us obtain a clearer picture of upcoming new housing supply and is used as part of our various housing reports.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is a federal Crown corporation and a backbone institution of Canada’s housing system. For over 80 years, CMHC has supported the functioning of housing markets across the country through housing finance solutions — including mortgage loan insurance and securitization — while providing trusted, unbiased data, research and market intelligence to inform policy and decision making. Through its national presence, deep expertise in housing economics and finance, and a system-wide perspective, CMHC helps foster a more stable, well-functioning housing market that supports households, communities and the broader economy.

Information on this release:

To request an interview with a CMHC economist, contact:
Media Relations, CMHC
media@cmhc-schl.gc.ca

April housing starts in Canada — all areas

Housing Construction Indicators, by Province for Centres 50,000 Population and Over (Provinces)
March – April 2026
	Approved Units* Awaiting Housing Start			Under Construction (Units)			Completions (Units)
Province/Centre	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	%	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	%	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	%
N.L.	541	413	-23.7	775	851	9.8	65	119	83.1
P.E.I.	317	294	-7.3	822	879	6.9	31	37	19.4
N.S.	3,683	3,858	4.8	13,613	13,694	0.6	395	157	-60.3
N.B.	1,356	1,378	1.6	6,088	5,877	-3.5	361	472	30.7
Atlantic	5,897	5,943	0.8	21,298	21,301	0	852	785	-7.9
Que.	37,076	34,533	-6.9	57,337	58,963	2.8	2,883	2,764	-4.1
Ont.	33,592	29,408	-12.5	146,956	149,423	1.7	4,115	4,028	-2.1
Man.	4,261	4,248	-0.3	8,586	9,161	6.7	347	195	-43.8
Sask.	2,185	2,068	-5.4	5,776	5,823	0.8	194	549	183
Alta.	23,862	24,139	1.2	43,663	43,156	-1.2	3,784	3,535	-6.6
Prairies	30,308	30,455	0.5	58,025	58,140	0.2	4,325	4,279	-1.1
B.C.	41,966	41,985	0	82,306	83,364	1.3	3,236	3,401	5.1
Canada 50,000+	148,839	142,324	-4.4	365,922	371,191	1.4	15,411	15,257	-1

*Units with approved building permits (excluding conversions) that have not yet begun construction and are not yet counted as housing starts. These units, where no construction activity has yet been observed through CMHC’s Starts and Completions Survey (SCS), may be indicative of future housing starts.
## not calculable / extreme value
Source: CMHC Starts and Completions Survey (SCS)
© 2026 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Housing Construction Indicators, by Province for Centres 50,000 Population and Over
(Metropolitan Areas)
March – April 2026
	Approved Units* Awaiting Housing Start			Under Construction (Units)			Completions (Units)
Province/Centre	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	%	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	%	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	%
Abbotsford-Mission	2,185	2,373	8.6	2,759	2,766	0.3	28	186	##
Barrie	525	644	22.7	2,060	2,030	-1.5	348	52	-85.1
Belleville – Quinte West	144	147	2.1	828	819	-1.1	9	17	88.9
Brantford	433	410	-5.3	1,803	1,858	3.1	20	44	120
Calgary	18,652	18,779	0.7	24,938	24,095	-3.4	2,606	2,097	-19.5
Chilliwack	456	150	-67.1	1,022	1,209	18.3	6	137	##
Drummondville	523	292	-44.2	878	1,032	17.5	19	89	##
Edmonton	4,766	4,838	1.5	16,568	16,924	2.1	993	1,362	37.2
Fredericton	270	287	6.3	1,698	1,440	-15.2	36	266	##
Greater/Grand Sudbury	50	49	-2	610	572	-6.2	38	50	31.6
Guelph	120	111	-7.5	598	545	-8.9	5	62	##
Halifax	3,564	3,750	5.2	13,468	13,549	0.6	374	127	-66
Hamilton	386	376	-2.6	7,421	6,994	-5.8	113	452	##
Kamloops	697	333	-52.2	912	1,252	37.3	124	28	-77.4
Kelowna	1,355	1,376	1.5	4,787	4,442	-7.2	554	537	-3.1
Kingston	406	619	52.5	1,841	1,835	-0.3	19	12	-36.8
Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo	1,620	780	-51.9	7,397	7,997	8.1	367	253	-31.1
Lethbridge	282	360	27.7	851	836	-1.8	36	33	-8.3
London	2,462	1,616	-34.4	5,837	6,738	15.4	90	64	-28.9
Moncton	668	603	-9.7	3,392	3,467	2.2	237	171	-27.8
Montréal	22,797	20,546	-9.9	33,545	34,410	2.6	1,807	1,537	-14.9
Nanaimo	485	258	-46.8	915	1,126	23.1	11	28	154.5
Oshawa	958	755	-21.2	3,336	2,760	-17.3	72	614	##
Ottawa – Gatineau	6,922	6,011	-13.2	21,264	21,555	1.4	1,063	975	-8.3
Gatineau	2,261	2,090	-7.6	4,008	4,229	5.5	307	138	-55
Ottawa	4,661	3,921	-15.9	17,256	17,326	0.4	756	837	10.7
Peterborough	60	122	103.3	71	62	-12.7	19	9	-52.6
Québec	7,762	7,891	1.7	10,350	10,844	4.8	232	426	83.6
Red Deer	31	40	29	433	422	-2.5	21	21	0
Regina	505	181	-64.2	1,460	1,781	22	33	81	145.5
Saguenay	851	817	-4	1,061	1,045	-1.5	58	88	51.7
St. Catharines – Niagara	907	830	-8.5	4,305	4,350	1	101	47	-53.5
Saint John	418	488	16.7	998	970	-2.8	88	35	-60.2
St. John's	541	413	-23.7	775	851	9.8	65	119	83.1
Saskatoon	1,680	1,887	12.3	4,316	4,042	-6.3	161	468	190.7
Sherbrooke	554	449	-19	2,119	2,040	-3.7	72	206	186.1
Thunder Bay	268	192	-28.4	365	359	-1.6	8	13	62.5
Toronto	19,380	17,732	-8.5	88,714	90,550	2.1	1,937	1,376	-29
Trois-Rivières	643	656	2	977	1,012	3.6	103	17	-83.5
Vancouver	34,304	35,830	4.4	62,130	61,945	-0.3	2,170	2,345	8.1
Victoria	2,243	1,492	-33.5	8,427	9,262	9.9	313	48	-84.7
Windsor	424	265	-37.5	1,465	1,598	9.1	121	75	-38
Winnipeg	4,153	4,142	-0.3	8,199	8,773	7	321	188	-41.4
CMA Total	145,450	138,890	-4.5	354,893	360,157	1.5	14,798	14,755	-0.3

Housing Start — Seasonally Adjusted at Annual Rates — 6 Month Moving Average (Trend)
(Provinces — 10,000+)
April 2026
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	%	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	%	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	%
N.L.	753	701	-7	481	763	59	1,233	1,464	19
P.E.I.	296	267	-10	852	976	15	1,148	1,243	8
N.S.	1,471	1,448	-2	5,769	5,156	-11	7,240	6,604	-9
N.B.	1,101	1,084	-2	4,744	4,651	-2	5,845	5,736	-2
Que.	5,351	5,379	1	54,693	55,487	1	60,043	60,866	1
Ont.	9,855	9,523	-3	52,933	59,936	13	62,788	69,459	11
Man.	2,150	2,133	-1	5,218	5,808	11	7,368	7,941	8
Sask.	1,937	1,864	-4	2,524	2,520	0	4,461	4,384	-2
Alta.	13,103	13,110	0	32,944	29,695	-10	46,047	42,805	-7
B.C.	4,414	4,150	-6	35,716	39,549	11	40,129	43,699	9
Canada (10,000+)	40,429	39,660	-2	195,872	204,542	4	236,301	244,202	3
Canada (All Areas)	46,798	45,902	-2	201,966	210,875	4	248,764	256,777	3

Data based on 2021 Census Definitions.
Source: CMHC

Housing Start — Seasonally Adjusted at Annual Rates — 6 Month Moving Average (Trend)
(Metropolitan Areas)
April 2026
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	%	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	%	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	%
Abbotsford – Mission	199	187	-6	616	548	-11	815	735	-10
Barrie	195	230	18	320	202	-37	515	432	-16
Belleville – Quinte West	146	126	-14	244	184	-25	390	310	-21
Brantford	323	316	-2	760	840	11	1,083	1,156	7
Calgary	5,819	5,827	0	18,192	14,650	-19	24,010	20,477	-15
Chilliwack	141	125	-11	260	850	227	401	975	143
Drummondville	215	228	6	1,158	1,428	23	1,373	1,656	21
Edmonton	5,448	5,478	1	11,796	12,198	3	17,244	17,676	3
Fredericton	289	284	-2	1,024	674	-34	1,313	958	-27
Greater / Grand Sudbury	95	84	-12	338	338	-	433	422	-3
Guelph	34	33	-3	414	416	0	448	449	0
Halifax	752	678	-10	4,474	3,826	-14	5,226	4,504	-14
Hamilton	304	306	1	3,250	3,162	-3	3,554	3,468	-2
Kamloops	131	134	2	970	1,682	73	1,101	1,816	65
Kelowna	253	224	-11	1,848	1,780	-4	2,101	2,004	-5
Kingston	296	243	-18	312	200	-36	608	443	-27
Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo	489	391	-20	3,668	5,236	43	4,157	5,627	35
Lethbridge	332	322	-3	486	490	1	818	812	-1
London	388	422	9	3,088	4,630	50	3,476	5,052	45
Moncton	362	370	2	2,157	2,422	12	2,519	2,793	11
Montréal	1,410	1,339	-5	25,579	24,712	-3	26,988	26,051	-3
Nanaimo	100	119	19	246	634	158	347	753	117
Oshawa	534	487	-9	402	342	-15	936	829	-11
Ottawa – Gatineau	1,918	1,945	1	12,580	13,410	7	14,497	15,355	6
Gatineau	357	380	6	1,962	2,459	25	2,319	2,839	22
Ottawa	1,561	1,565	0	10,618	10,951	3	12,178	12,516	3
Peterborough	79	65	-18	22	22	-	100	87	-13
Québec	732	737	1	6,782	6,506	-4	7,514	7,244	-4
Red Deer	100	79	-21	360	358	-1	460	437	-5
Regina	500	503	1	512	1,022	100	1,012	1,525	51
Saguenay	244	243	0	1,128	1,134	1	1,372	1,377	0
St. Catharines – Niagara	567	585	3	3,128	3,014	-4	3,695	3,599	-3
Saint John	277	260	-6	398	370	-7	675	630	-7
St. John's	602	556	-8	324	612	89	926	1,168	26
Saskatoon	1,417	1,348	-5	1,992	1,472	-26	3,409	2,820	-17
Sherbrooke	245	219	-11	2,500	2,532	1	2,745	2,751	0
Thunder Bay	76	91	20	228	214	-6	304	305	0
Toronto	2,518	2,338	-7	19,204	22,848	19	21,722	25,186	16
Trois-Rivières	154	158	3	1,198	832	-31	1,352	990	-27
Vancouver	2,343	2,106	-10	24,998	26,296	5	27,341	28,402	4
Victoria	319	319	-	3,254	4,274	31	3,573	4,593	29
Windsor	266	286	8	674	990	47	940	1,276	36
Winnipeg	1,842	1,841	0	4,214	4,964	18	6,055	6,805	12

Data based on 2021 Census Definitions.
Source: CMHC

Housing Start Data in Centres 10,000 Population and Over (Province)
January – April 2025 – 2026
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	2025	2026	%	2025	2026	%	2025	2026	%
N.L.	126	113	-10	107	257	140	233	370	59
P.E.I.	68	45	-34	397	411	4	465	456	-2
N.S.	350	330	-6	2,173	1,332	-39	2,523	1,662	-34
N.B.	115	119	3	742	851	15	857	970	13
Atlantic	659	607	-8	3,419	2,851	-17	4,078	3,458	-15
Que.	1,129	1,324	17	13,296	14,826	12	14,425	16,150	12
Ont.	2,384	2,225	-7	13,888	18,198	31	16,272	20,423	26
Man.	684	643	-6	1,173	1,826	56	1,857	2,469	33
Sask.	452	435	-4	1,478	901	-39	1,930	1,336	-31
Alta.	4,867	3,775	-22	11,897	9,087	-24	16,764	12,862	-23
Prairies	6,003	4,853	-19	14,548	11,814	-19	20,551	16,667	-19
B.C.	1,115	1,086	-3	10,799	13,227	22	11,914	14,313	20
Canada	11,290	10,095	-11	55,950	60,916	9	67,240	71,011	6

1 Data for 2024, 2025 and 2026 based on 2021 Census Definitions.
Source: CMHC Starts and Completion Survey, Market Absorption Survey

Housing Start Data in Centres 10,000 Population and Over
(Metropolitan Areas)
January – April 2025 – 2026
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	2025	2026	%	2025	2026	%	2025	2026	%
Abbotsford – Mission	40	37	-8	857	226	-74	897	263	-71
Barrie	21	44	110	98	48	-51	119	92	-23
Belleville – Quinte West	32	20	-38	165	4	-98	197	24	-88
Brantford	88	101	15	580	399	-31	668	500	-25
Calgary	2,328	1,758	-24	7,045	4,504	-36	9,373	6,262	-33
Chilliwack	38	35	-8	237	341	44	275	376	37
Drummondville	72	64	-11	254	404	59	326	468	44
Edmonton	2,092	1,548	-26	3,864	3,558	-8	5,956	5,106	-14
Fredericton	25	23	-8	125	94	-25	150	117	-22
Greater/Grand Sudbury	8	13	63	5	42	##	13	55	323
Guelph	7	3	-57	7	46	##	14	49	250
Halifax	210	166	-21	2,067	933	-55	2,277	1,099	-52
Hamilton	55	55	-	625	670	7	680	725	7
Kamloops	41	46	12	106	794	##	147	840	471
Kelowna	72	44	-39	668	648	-3	740	692	-6
Kingston	47	47	-	216	12	-94	263	59	-78
Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo	96	105	9	1,018	2,038	100	1,114	2,143	92
Lethbridge	82	65	-21	142	197	39	224	262	17
London	142	107	-25	225	1,858	##	367	1,965	435
Moncton	30	35	17	547	653	19	577	688	19
Montréal	347	301	-13	6,939	6,934	0	7,286	7,235	-1
Nanaimo	29	43	48	105	282	169	134	325	143
Oshawa	64	68	6	102	51	-50	166	119	-28
Ottawa – Gatineau	522	469	-10	3,671	3,753	2	4,193	4,222	1
Gatineau	67	86	28	626	1,062	70	693	1,148	66
Ottawa	455	383	-16	3,045	2,691	-12	3,500	3,074	-12
Peterborough	18	13	-28	3	11	267	21	24	14
Québec	193	215	11	1,972	2,449	24	2,165	2,664	23
Red Deer	40	26	-35	17	146	##	57	172	202
Regina	99	114	15	693	457	-34	792	571	-28
Saguenay	58	65	12	151	375	148	209	440	111
St. Catharines – Niagara	100	164	64	390	729	87	490	893	82
Saint John	34	38	12	27	28	4	61	66	8
St. John's	121	94	-22	105	218	108	226	312	38
Saskatoon	326	314	-4	719	434	-40	1,045	748	-28
Sherbrooke	70	56	-20	380	797	110	450	853	90
Thunder Bay	5	7	40	20	101	405	25	108	332
Toronto	795	533	-33	6,567	7,436	13	7,362	7,969	8
Trois-Rivières	50	30	-40	226	265	17	276	295	7
Vancouver	574	568	-1	7,345	8,296	13	7,919	8,864	12
Victoria	69	78	13	934	1,478	58	1,003	1,556	55
Windsor	75	55	-27	108	217	101	183	272	49
Winnipeg	620	583	-6	982	1,593	62	1,602	2,176	36
Total	9,735	8,150	-16	50,307	53,519	6	60,042	61,669	3

1 Data for 2024, 2025 and 2026 based on 2021 Census Definitions.
Source: CMHC Starts and Completion Survey, Market Absorption Survey

Housing Start Data in Centres 10,000 Population and Over (Provinces)
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	Apr. 2025	Apr. 2026	%	Apr. 2025	Apr. 2026	%	Apr. 2025	Apr. 2026	%
N.-L.	54	30	-44	56	170	204	110	200	82
P.E.I.	26	6	-77	150	88	-41	176	94	-47
N.S.	129	106	-18	890	249	-72	1,019	355	-65
N.B.	36	34	-6	148	241	63	184	275	49
Atlantic	245	176	-28	1,244	748	-40	1,489	924	-38
Que.	427	411	-4	3,861	4,530	17	4,288	4,941	15
Ont.	798	657	-18	4,536	6,023	33	5,334	6,680	25
Man.	225	207	-8	270	596	121	495	803	62
Sask.	147	138	-6	488	448	-8	635	586	-8
Alta.	1,588	1,188	-25	3,706	2,004	-46	5,294	3,192	-40
Prairies	1,960	1,533	-22	4,464	3,048	-32	6,424	4,581	-29
B.C.	356	286	-20	4,047	4,393	9	4,403	4,679	6
Canada (10,000+)	3,786	3,063	-19	18,152	18,742	3	21,938	21,805	-1

Data for 2022 based on 2016 Census Definitions and data for 2023, 2024 and 2025 based on 2021 Census Definitions.
Source: CMHC Starts and Completion Survey, Market Absorption Survey
## not calculable / extreme value

Housing Start Data in Centres 10,000 Population and Over (Metropolitan Areas)
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	Apr. 2025	Apr. 2026	%	Apr. 2025	Apr. 2026	%	Apr. 2025	Apr. 2026	%
Abbotsford – Mission	13	15	15	202	178	-12	215	193	-10
Barrie	5	21	320	34	1	-97	39	22	-44
Belleville – Quinte West	11	8	-27	0	0	-	11	8	-27
Brantford	39	28	-28	269	71	-74	308	99	-68
Calgary	821	515	-37	2,281	742	-67	3,102	1,257	-59
Chilliwack	11	9	-18	121	315	160	132	324	145
Drummondville	26	29	12	57	214	275	83	243	193
Edmonton	604	525	-13	1,257	1,180	-6	1,861	1,705	-8
Fredericton	5	5	-	0	2	##	5	7	40
Greater / Grand Sudbury	3	6	100	0	6	##	3	12	300
Guelph	3	0	###	6	9	50	9	9	-
Halifax	56	49	-13	860	147	-83	916	196	-79
Hamilton	14	13	-7	179	14	-92	193	27	-86
Kamloops	8	10	25	4	358	##	12	368	##
Kelowna	22	5	-77	177	128	-28	199	133	-33
Kingston	18	6	-67	33	0	-100	51	6	-88
Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo	26	30	15	229	825	260	255	855	235
Lethbridge	20	16	-20	20	2	-90	40	18	-55
London	41	33	-20	30	934	##	71	967	##
Moncton	15	18	20	126	227	80	141	245	74
Montréal	134	111	-17	1,825	2,254	24	1,959	2,365	21
Nanaimo	9	27	200	18	214	##	27	241	##
Oshawa	43	4	-91	35	6	-83	78	10	-87
Ottawa – Gatineau	170	129	-24	1,414	1,104	-22	1,584	1,233	-22
Gatineau	24	6	-75	123	352	186	147	358	144
Ottawa	146	123	-16	1,291	752	-42	1,437	875	-39
Peterborough	1	0	###	0	0	-	1	0	###
Québec	67	78	16	621	846	36	688	924	34
Red Deer	11	10	-9	0	0	-	11	10	-9
Regina	19	30	58	262	369	41	281	399	42
Saguenay	29	26	-10	13	46	254	42	72	71
St. Catharines – Niagara	23	51	122	56	42	-25	79	93	18
Saint John	11	5	-55	1	2	100	12	7	-42
St. John's	50	26	-48	54	169	213	104	195	88
Saskatoon	123	102	-17	215	71	-67	338	173	-49
Sherbrooke	33	16	-52	162	121	-25	195	137	-30
Thunder Bay	2	2	-	0	5	##	2	7	250
Toronto	249	140	-44	2,041	2,940	44	2,290	3,080	34
Trois-Rivières	20	14	-30	67	34	-49	87	48	-45
Vancouver	171	125	-27	2,914	2,033	-30	3,085	2,158	-30
Victoria	20	23	15	371	841	127	391	864	121
Windsor	25	26	4	35	190	443	60	216	260
Winnipeg	214	188	-12	199	578	190	413	766	85
Total	3,185	2,474	-22	16,188	17,218	6	19,373	19,692	2