Housing starts and construction data for July 2026

Ottawa, August 18, 2026

The six-month trend in housing starts was flat in July compared to June, with a slight decrease of 0.5% to 247,377 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 monthly housing starts were down 19% year-over-year in centres with a population of 10,000 or more, with 18,834 units recorded in July, compared to 23,155 units in July 2025. The year-to-date total was 131,851 units, down 4% from the same period in 2025.

The total monthly SAAR of housing starts for all areas in Canada decreased 5% in July (229,074 units) compared to June (240,773 units).

The number of units under construction in centres with a population of 50,000 or more in July was flat, up just 0.6% month-over-month to 373,091 units compared to June. Completions increased with construction finishing on 19,773 units, up 8.1% compared to June. The number of units with approved building permits but not yet started increased 3% month-to-month to 141,480 units in July.

Quote:

“July's results show that housing starts are continuing to moderate and new home construction in Canada is evolving as per CMHC's recent Housing Market Outlook Summer Update. Although the pipeline of homes under construction remains substantial and completions are increasing, fewer new projects are being started in many markets, notably in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. Based on the recent slowdown in activity, housing starts are likely to remain subdued over the coming months, reflecting ongoing challenges in bringing new projects to market. At the same time, the large volume of homes already under construction will continue to support completions and add to housing supply.”
— Tania Bourassa-Ochoa, Deputy Chief Economist for CMHC

Key facts:

The rural starts monthly SAAR estimate was 11,274 units.
Among Canada’s three biggest CMAs, Montreal posted a 3% year-over-year increase in actual housing starts this month driven by higher multi-unit starts. Vancouver recorded a 42% decrease due to lower multi-unit and single-detached starts while Toronto starts decreased 10% due to lower multi-unit starts.
Read more about what housing starts measure and why they 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 August housing starts data on September 16 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 data facilitates the analysis of monthly, quarterly, and year-over-year construction 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.

For 80 years, CMHC has been the foundation of Canada's housing system, promoting stability and sustainability. CMHC's mortgage insurance products support access to home ownership and the creation and maintenance of rental supply. CMHC research and data help inform housing policy. By facilitating cooperation between all levels of government, private and non-profit sectors, CMHC contributes to advancing housing affordability, equity, and climate compatibility. CMHC actively supports the Government of Canada in delivering on its commitment to make housing more affordable.

Information on this release:

To request an interview with a CMHC economist, contact:

Media Relations, CMHC
media@cmhc-schl.gc.ca

July housing starts in Canada — all areas

Housing Construction Indicators, by Province for Centres 50,000 Population and Over
(Provinces — 50,000+)
June 2026 – July 2026
	Aproved Units* Awaiting Housing Start			Under Construction (Units)			Completions (Units)
	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	%	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	%	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	%
N.L.	533	509	-4.5	914	957	4.7	73	83	13.7
P.E.I.	397	316	-20.4	992	1,093	10.2	62	60	-3.2
N.S.	3,309	3,149	-4.8	14,609	14,978	2.5	151	119	-21.2
N.B.	1,542	1,725	11.9	5,516	5,668	2.8	702	460	-34.5
Atlantic	5,781	5,699	-1.4	22,031	22,696	3	988	722	-26.9
Que.	33,376	33,975	1.8	60,476	57,466	-5	4,620	7,491	62.1
Ont.	29,595	30,839	4.2	151,342	151,670	0.2	4,305	4,037	-6.2
Man.	3,647	3,820	4.7	9,350	9,495	1.6	1,157	419	-63.8
Sask.	1,756	1,820	3.6	6,657	6,889	3.5	399	247	-38.1
Alta.	22,303	23,565	5.7	44,509	44,540	0.1	3,525	3,805	7.9
Prairies	27,706	29,205	5.4	60,516	60,924	0.7	5,081	4,471	-12
B.C.	40,866	41,762	2.2	81,104	80,335	-0.9	3,304	3,052	-7.6
Canada 50,000+	137,324	141,480	3	375,469	373,091	-0.6	18,298	19,773	8.1

*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)
June 2026 – July 2026
	Aproved Units* Awaiting Housing Start			Under Construction (Units)			Completions (Units)
	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	%	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	%	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	%
Abbotsford – Mission	2,061	2,099	1.8	3,036	2,887	-4.9	48	168	##
Barrie	593	558	-5.9	2,197	2,414	9.9	41	87	112.2
Belleville – Quinte West	83	114	37.3	886	899	1.5	25	18	-28
Brantford	386	447	15.8	1,875	1,640	-12.5	126	246	95.2
Calgary	16,177	17,698	9.4	24,924	24,547	-1.5	1,852	1,879	1.5
Chilliwack	91	82	-9.9	1,267	1,266	-0.1	30	23	-23.3
Drummondville	316	247	-21.8	984	905	-8	69	203	194.2
Edmonton	5,503	5,316	-3.4	17,878	18,289	2.3	1,195	1,729	44.7
Fredericton	384	125	-67.4	1,540	1,826	18.6	72	32	-55.6
Greater / Grand Sudbury	54	38	-29.6	532	547	2.8	10	30	200
Guelph	132	138	4.5	436	252	-42.2	4	189	##
Halifax	3,206	3,060	-4.6	14,414	14,751	2.3	144	116	-19.4
Hamilton	615	531	-13.7	7,068	6,920	-2.1	93	327	##
Kamloops	322	335	4	1,113	929	-16.5	263	201	-23.6
Kelowna	1,247	1,295	3.8	4,203	4,302	2.4	279	20	-92.8
Kingston	447	450	0.7	1,880	1,911	1.6	180	23	-87.2
Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo	656	681	3.8	8,052	7,712	-4.2	168	563	##
Lethbridge	449	361	-19.6	492	573	16.5	419	56	-86.6
London	1,619	1,886	16.5	6,556	6,649	1.4	606	86	-85.8
Moncton	654	1,033	58	3,161	3,023	-4.4	437	368	-15.8
Montréal	19,094	19,068	-0.1	35,697	34,809	-2.5	3,145	3,403	8.2
Nanaimo	228	212	-7	1,153	1,203	4.3	238	25	-89.5
Oshawa	889	844	-5.1	2,844	2,864	0.7	54	83	53.7
Ottawa – Gatineau	6,393	6,664	4.2	21,284	20,828	-2.1	1,593	1,675	5.1
Gatineau	1,780	1,692	-4.9	4,209	3,556	-15.5	223	832	##
Ottawa	4,613	4,972	7.8	17,075	17,272	1.2	1,370	843	-38.5
Peterborough	192	132	-31.3	72	140	94.4	7	4	-42.9
Québec	7,569	8,112	7.2	11,295	10,455	-7.4	430	1,746	##
Red Deer	27	31	14.8	322	312	-3.1	17	32	88.2
Regina	325	494	52	1,963	2,015	2.6	161	25	-84.5
Saguenay	840	986	17.4	993	893	-10.1	94	187	98.9
St. Catharines – Niagara	1,200	1,120	-6.7	4,610	4,727	2.5	49	74	51
Saint John	504	567	12.5	815	819	0.5	193	60	-68.9
St. John's	533	509	-4.5	914	957	4.7	73	83	13.7
Saskatoon	1,431	1,326	-7.3	4,694	4,874	3.8	238	222	-6.7
Sherbrooke	668	721	7.9	2,025	1,885	-6.9	225	297	32
Thunder Bay	137	140	2.2	464	486	4.7	13	5	-61.5
Toronto	16,992	17,878	5.2	92,217	92,749	0.6	1,329	1,009	-24.1
Trois-Rivières	891	910	2.1	1,165	833	-28.5	23	390	##
Vancouver	35,069	35,751	1.9	59,896	59,595	-0.5	2,171	2,123	-2.2
Victoria	1,742	1,828	4.9	9,015	8,747	-3	204	433	112.3
Windsor	242	261	7.9	1,629	1,521	-6.6	116	176	51.7
Winnipeg	3,513	3,706	5.5	8,947	9,105	1.8	1,154	381	-67
CMA Total	133,474	137,754	3.2	364,508	362,059	-0.7	17,588	18,797	6.9

Housing Start — Seasonally Adjusted at Annual Rates — 6 Month Moving Average (Trend)
(Provinces — 10,000+)
July 2026
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	%	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	%	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	%
N.L.	665	635	-5	727	737	1	1,392	1,372	-1
P.E.I.	291	280	-4	1,322	1,358	3	1,613	1,638	2
N.S.	1,441	1,371	-5	4,746	5,116	8	6,186	6,488	5
N.B.	950	841	-11	3,750	3,807	2	4,699	4,647	-1
Que.	5,366	4,953	-8	51,763	55,799	8	57,129	60,752	6
Ont.	9,637	9,576	-1	56,123	53,828	-4	65,760	63,404	-4
Man.	2,236	2,230	0	6,184	6,714	9	8,420	8,945	6
Sask.	1,922	1,933	1	3,940	4,398	12	5,862	6,331	8
Alta.	13,298	13,352	0	31,664	31,727	0	44,961	45,079	0
B.C.	3,827	3,626	-5	36,866	33,382	-9	40,694	37,008	-9
Canada (10,000+)	39,631	38,796	-2	197,084	196,866	0	236,715	235,662	0
Canada (All Areas)	45,318	44,358	-2	203,342	203,018	0	248,660	247,376	-1

Data based on 2021 Census Definitions.
Source: Market Analysis Centre, CMHC

Housing Start — Seasonally Adjusted at Annual Rates — 6 Month Moving Average (Trend)
(Metropolitan Areas)
July 2026
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	%	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	%	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	%
Abbotsford – Mission	134	107	-20	1,434	1,408	-2	1,568	1,515	-3
Barrie	185	216	17	424	860	103	609	1,076	77
Belleville – Quinte West	131	142	8	152	162	7	283	304	7
Brantford	223	171	-23	1,144	732	-36	1,367	903	-34
Calgary	5,867	5,794	-1	17,156	15,888	-7	23,023	21,682	-6
Chilliwack	120	127	6	826	834	1	946	961	2
Drummondville	225	215	-4	1,006	1,104	10	1,231	1,319	7
Edmonton	5,742	5,813	1	11,944	13,648	14	17,686	19,461	10
Fredericton	242	241	0	740	1,090	47	982	1,331	36
Greater / Grand Sudbury	86	74	-14	98	152	55	184	226	23
Guelph	32	25	-22	126	102	-19	158	127	-20
Halifax	712	629	-12	3,730	4,122	11	4,442	4,751	7
Hamilton	233	235	1	1,698	1,700	0	1,931	1,935	0
Kamloops	109	80	-27	1,878	1,104	-41	1,987	1,184	-40
Kelowna	208	189	-9	2,112	1,932	-9	2,320	2,121	-9
Kingston	181	147	-19	458	500	9	639	647	1
Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo	354	341	-4	4,688	4,708	0	5,042	5,049	0
Lethbridge	275	285	4	558	752	35	833	1,037	24
London	464	493	6	4,534	4,050	-11	4,998	4,543	-9
Moncton	297	265	-11	1,935	2,004	4	2,233	2,269	2
Montréal	1,245	1,226	-2	25,568	27,485	7	26,813	28,711	7
Nanaimo	104	136	31	800	918	15	904	1,054	17
Oshawa	436	289	-34	354	506	43	790	795	1
Ottawa – Gatineau	2,212	2,344	6	11,835	12,562	6	14,047	14,905	6
Gatineau	454	359	-21	3,030	3,050	1	3,485	3,409	-2
Ottawa	1,758	1,985	13	8,805	9,512	8	10,562	11,496	9
Peterborough	87	98	13	24	136	467	111	234	111
Québec	801	776	-3	7,702	9,144	19	8,503	9,920	17
Red Deer	111	132	19	396	402	2	507	534	5
Regina	490	456	-7	1,474	1,514	3	1,964	1,970	0
Saguenay	191	179	-6	1,108	1,114	1	1,299	1,293	0
St. Catharines – Niagara	467	387	-17	2,226	2,338	5	2,693	2,725	1
Saint John	239	204	-15	106	174	64	345	378	10
St. John's	544	533	-2	610	656	8	1,154	1,189	3
Saskatoon	1,374	1,397	2	2,452	2,858	17	3,826	4,255	11
Sherbrooke	287	309	8	2,042	2,204	8	2,329	2,513	8
Thunder Bay	95	92	-3	410	280	-32	505	372	-26
Toronto	2,559	2,618	2	24,296	22,500	-7	26,855	25,118	-6
Trois-Rivières	132	130	-2	1,076	1,068	-1	1,208	1,198	-1
Vancouver	2,028	1,935	-5	23,192	21,270	-8	25,220	23,205	-8
Victoria	306	287	-6	3,462	2,978	-14	3,768	3,265	-13
Windsor	319	349	9	616	634	3	935	983	5
Winnipeg	1,904	1,893	-1	5,518	6,098	11	7,422	7,991	8

Data based on 2021 Census Definitions.
Source: Market Analysis Centre, CMHC

Housing Start Data in Centres 10,000 Population and Over (Province)
January – July 2025 – 2026
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	2025	2026	%	2025	2026	%	2025	2026	%
N.L.	371	355	-4	212	389	83	583	744	28
P.E.I.	175	146	-17	635	787	24	810	933	15
N.S.	880	764	-13	4,522	2,863	-37	5,402	3,627	-33
N.B.	452	436	-4	2,394	2,089	-13	2,846	2,525	-11
Atlantic	1,878	1,701	-9	7,763	6,128	-21	9,641	7,829	-19
Que.	2,626	2,777	6	27,651	28,599	3	30,277	31,376	4
Ont.	5,340	5,221	-2	28,324	30,720	8	33,664	35,941	7
Man.	1,309	1,239	-5	2,189	3,543	62	3,498	4,782	37
Sask.	925	1,012	9	2,263	2,295	1	3,188	3,307	4
Alta.	9,237	7,499	-19	23,031	18,619	-19	32,268	26,118	-19
Prairies	11,471	9,750	-15	27,483	24,457	-11	38,954	34,207	-12
B.C.	2,229	2,053	-8	22,781	20,445	-10	25,010	22,498	-10
Canada	23,544	21,502	-9	114,002	110,349	-3	137,546	131,851	-4

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 – July 2025 – 2026
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	2025	2026	%	2025	2026	%	2025	2026	%
Abbotsford – Mission	99	61	-38	1,392	728	-48	1,491	789	-47
Barrie	92	129	40	472	436	-8	564	565	0
Belleville – Quinte West	89	77	-13	271	85	-69	360	162	-55
Brantford	188	128	-32	1,054	579	-45	1,242	707	-43
Calgary	4,129	3,266	-21	12,472	9,589	-23	16,601	12,855	-23
Chilliwack	71	70	-1	266	424	59	337	494	47
Drummondville	140	134	-4	568	603	6	708	737	4
Edmonton	4,103	3,256	-21	8,956	7,602	-15	13,059	10,858	-17
Fredericton	136	145	7	619	627	1	755	772	2
Greater/Grand Sudbury	53	41	-23	111	80	-28	164	121	-26
Guelph	16	11	-31	77	64	-17	93	75	-19
Halifax	443	362	-18	4,071	2,282	-44	4,514	2,644	-41
Hamilton	160	112	-30	1,658	1,002	-40	1,818	1,114	-39
Kamloops	57	64	12	300	950	##	357	1,014	184
Kelowna	162	107	-34	1,849	1,151	-38	2,011	1,258	-37
Kingston	108	90	-17	730	261	-64	838	351	-58
Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo	208	215	3	1,409	2,505	78	1,617	2,720	68
Lethbridge	214	157	-27	198	382	93	412	539	31
London	282	273	-3	895	2,376	165	1,177	2,649	125
Moncton	134	107	-20	1,429	1,158	-19	1,563	1,265	-19
Montréal	751	734	-2	14,332	15,131	6	15,083	15,865	5
Nanaimo	49	69	41	169	466	176	218	535	145
Oshawa	188	154	-18	236	260	10	424	414	-2
Ottawa – Gatineau	947	1,211	28	6,938	6,684	-4	7,885	7,895	0
Gatineau	236	218	-8	1,335	1,658	24	1,571	1,876	19
Ottawa	711	993	40	5,603	5,026	-10	6,314	6,019	-5
Peterborough	41	48	17	17	68	##	58	116	100
Québec	402	461	15	5,097	4,800	-6	5,499	5,261	-4
Red Deer	78	63	-19	219	207	-5	297	270	-9
Regina	198	246	24	811	776	-4	1,009	1,022	1
Saguenay	142	116	-18	251	624	149	393	740	88
St. Catharines – Niagara	261	256	-2	972	1,269	31	1,233	1,525	24
Saint John	113	113	-	160	95	-41	273	208	-24
St. John's	346	320	-8	205	351	71	551	671	22
Saskatoon	685	741	8	1,364	1,506	10	2,049	2,247	10
Sherbrooke	153	170	11	732	1,142	56	885	1,312	48
Thunder Bay	46	38	-17	63	220	##	109	258	137
Toronto	1,724	1,355	-21	12,571	13,410	7	14,295	14,765	3
Trois-Rivières	102	78	-24	683	582	-15	785	660	-16
Vancouver	1,138	1,093	-4	14,741	13,238	-10	15,879	14,331	-10
Victoria	158	161	2	2,762	1,877	-32	2,920	2,038	-30
Windsor	188	186	-1	469	325	-31	657	511	-22
Winnipeg	1,178	1,073	-9	1,859	3,167	70	3,037	4,240	40
Total	19,772	17,491	-12	103,448	99,082	-4	123,220	116,573	-5

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 — 10,000+)
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	Jul. 2025	Jul. 2026	%	Jul. 2025	Jul. 2026	%	Jul. 2025	Jul. 2026	%
N.-L.	97	83	-14	33	46	39	130	129	-1
P.E.I.	51	35	-31	191	126	-34	242	161	-33
N.S.	189	136	-28	1,265	515	-59	1,454	651	-55
N.B.	127	123	-3	647	523	-19	774	646	-17
Atlantic	464	377	-19	2,136	1,210	-43	2,600	1,587	-39
Que.	545	449	-18	3,877	4,603	19	4,422	5,052	14
Ont.	928	1,111	20	5,368	3,530	-34	6,296	4,641	-26
Man.	243	174	-28	258	451	75	501	625	25
Sask.	136	167	23	261	325	25	397	492	24
Alta.	1,445	1,224	-15	2,921	2,817	-4	4,366	4,041	-7
Prairies	1,824	1,565	-14	3,440	3,593	4	5,264	5,158	-2
B.C.	355	308	-13	4,198	2,088	-50	4,553	2,396	-47
Canada (10,000+)	4,116	3,810	-7	19,019	15,024	-21	23,135	18,834	-19

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
	Jul. 2025	Jul. 2026	%	Jul. 2025	Jul. 2026	%	Jul. 2025	Jul. 2026	%
Abbotsford – Mission	21	8	-62	198	11	-94	219	19	-91
Barrie	17	26	53	317	224	-29	334	250	-25
Belleville – Quinte West	21	22	5	87	9	-90	108	31	-71
Brantford	17	4	-76	0	7	##	17	11	-35
Calgary	581	493	-15	1,308	1,011	-23	1,889	1,504	-20
Chilliwack	3	11	##	16	11	-31	19	22	16
Drummondville	20	23	15	87	100	15	107	123	15
Edmonton	655	544	-17	1,536	1,630	6	2,191	2,174	-1
Fredericton	49	61	24	217	257	18	266	318	20
Greater / Grand Sudbury	27	14	-48	23	31	35	50	45	-10
Guelph	5	2	-60	42	1	-98	47	3	-94
Halifax	78	35	-55	1,115	417	-63	1,193	452	-62
Hamilton	33	26	-21	893	153	-83	926	179	-81
Kamloops	7	5	-29	174	11	-94	181	16	-91
Kelowna	27	20	-26	170	95	-44	197	115	-42
Kingston	22	22	-	15	32	113	37	54	46
Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo	56	63	13	330	161	-51	386	224	-42
Lethbridge	41	34	-17	8	103	##	49	137	180
London	44	71	61	352	109	-69	396	180	-55
Moncton	27	19	-30	335	202	-40	362	221	-39
Montréal	134	118	-12	2,257	2,340	4	2,391	2,458	3
Nanaimo	2	10	##	6	66	##	8	76	##
Oshawa	41	20	-51	64	83	30	105	103	-2
Ottawa – Gatineau	171	243	42	1,295	981	-24	1,466	1,224	-17
Gatineau	82	22	-73	220	143	-35	302	165	-45
Ottawa	89	221	148	1,075	838	-22	1,164	1,059	-9
Peterborough	13	16	23	14	56	##	27	72	167
Québec	62	82	32	639	949	49	701	1,031	47
Red Deer	10	13	30	3	9	##	13	22	69
Regina	28	40	43	42	39	-7	70	79	13
Saguenay	30	16	-47	42	70	67	72	86	19
St. Catharines – Niagara	56	35	-38	232	156	-33	288	191	-34
Saint John	32	24	-25	42	42	-	74	66	-11
St. John's	90	76	-16	33	46	39	123	122	-1
Saskatoon	103	120	17	219	280	28	322	400	24
Sherbrooke	33	37	12	40	121	##	73	158	116
Thunder Bay	17	12	-29	26	15	-42	43	27	-37
Toronto	259	278	7	1,461	1,262	-14	1,720	1,540	-10
Trois-Rivières	14	14	-	51	44	-14	65	58	-11
Vancouver	194	168	-13	2,914	1,642	-44	3,108	1,810	-42
Victoria	32	20	-38	549	146	-73	581	166	-71
Windsor	38	45	18	204	17	-92	242	62	-74
Winnipeg	200	137	-32	196	408	108	396	545	38
Total	3,310	3,027	-9	17,552	13,347	-24	20,862	16,374	-22