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Housing Market Insider
Indicator

Housing starts

Dwelling units where construction began, from CMHC's Starts and Completions Survey. Metro figures are 12-month totals; the national chart is the seasonally adjusted annual rate.
Housing starts (SAAR), Canada. Latest: 248,896 units, annualized (Sep 1, 2026)
Housing starts by metro (Sep 2026)

Metros

GeographyLatestReference period
Montréal Que.27,474 unitsSep 2026
Vancouver B.C.26,601 unitsSep 2026
Calgary Alta.24,403 unitsSep 2026
Toronto Ont.23,355 unitsSep 2026
Edmonton Alta.19,055 unitsSep 2026
Ottawa–Gatineau Ont.14,228 unitsSep 2026
Québec City Que.9,293 unitsSep 2026
Winnipeg Man.6,920 unitsSep 2026
Halifax N.S.5,107 unitsSep 2026
Victoria B.C.4,060 unitsSep 2026
Saskatoon Sask.3,952 unitsSep 2026
London Ont.3,788 unitsSep 2026
Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo Ont.3,715 unitsSep 2026
Moncton N.B.2,927 unitsSep 2026
St. Catharines–Niagara Ont.2,826 unitsSep 2026
Hamilton Ont.2,334 unitsSep 2026
Sherbrooke Que.2,169 unitsSep 2026
Kelowna B.C.1,907 unitsSep 2026
Regina Sask.1,675 unitsSep 2026
Abbotsford–Mission B.C.1,229 unitsSep 2026
Trois-Rivières Que.1,197 unitsSep 2026
St. John's N.L.1,160 unitsSep 2026
Windsor Ont.1,081 unitsSep 2026
Brantford Ont.934 unitsSep 2026
Barrie Ont.865 unitsSep 2026
Oshawa Ont.800 unitsSep 2026
Kingston Ont.685 unitsSep 2026
Saint John N.B.658 unitsSep 2026
Peterborough Ont.234 unitsSep 2026

Understanding this indicator

What it is
The number of new homes where construction began. CMHC counts every dwelling unit, so a 100-unit apartment building adds 100 starts.
How it's measured
CMHC's Starts and Completions Survey counts a start when the concrete has been poured for the whole footing around the structure, or an equivalent stage for buildings without a basement. The national chart uses the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR): the month's seasonally adjusted count multiplied by 12.
How to read it
  • Starts show new supply arriving in the next one to three years, depending on building type.
  • Apartment projects make starts jumpy from month to month; 12-month totals and trends are more reliable.
  • A SAAR of 250,000 means building would reach 250,000 units over a year if that month's pace continued.
Limitations
  • Starts measure construction activity, not whether supply meets demand.

Sources

Geographies without a current published figure are left out rather than estimated. Methodology