Canada’s homebuilding activity gained momentum in July, led by a surge in multi-unit projects that lifted overall housing starts above year-ago levels, according to data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
The six-month trend measure of housing starts, which smooths monthly fluctuations, rose 3.7 percent to 263,088 units. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, housing starts increased 4 percent to 294,085 units nationwide, compared with 283,523 in June.
In centres with populations of 10,000 or more, actual housing starts rose 4 percent from last year, reaching 23,464 units in July versus 22,610 in the same month of 2024. Year-to-date, housing starts were 137,875 units, also up 4 percent from the previous year. The monthly seasonally adjusted rate for urban areas climbed 5 percent to 273,618 units, while rural activity was estimated at 20,467 units.
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“Through the first seven months of the year, actual housing starts have remained above 2024 levels, primarily driven by increased multi-unit starts in the Prairie Provinces and Québec,” said Tania Bourassa-Ochoa, Deputy Chief Economist at CMHC. She added that current construction reflects investment decisions made months or years earlier, underscoring the lag between market conditions and building activity.
Trends diverged across Canada’s largest cities. Montreal posted a sharp 212 percent increase in year-over-year starts, propelled by a surge in multi-unit developments. Vancouver recorded a 24 percent gain, also tied to apartment-style construction. Toronto, however, registered a steep 69 percent decline, with fewer single-detached and multi-unit projects breaking ground than a year ago.
The mixed performance across major metropolitan areas highlights ongoing regional differences in housing demand and supply, even as the national outlook remains buoyed by robust apartment construction.
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