Business and Economy
Canadian housing starts trend higher in July
This trend measure is a six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) of housing starts. (Pixabay photo)
The trend in housing starts was 264,426 units in July, up from 257,862 units in June, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). This trend measure is a six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) of housing starts.
CMHC uses the trend measure as a complement to the monthly SAAR of housing starts to account for considerable swings in monthly estimates and 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.
“The monthly SAAR and trend were higher in July compared to June nationally, as historically elevated levels of housing starts activity continue in Canada, which have been well above 200,000 units since 2020,” said Aled Ab Iorwerth, CMHC’s Deputy Chief Economist. “Monthly SAAR housing starts in Canada’s urban areas declined in July, driven by lower single-detached starts. However, Vancouver and Toronto both registered much stronger declines in multi-unit starts than in single-detached starts, while Montreal saw similarly large declines in both unit types.”
The standalone monthly SAAR of total housing starts for all areas in Canada in July was 275,329 units, an increase of 1.1% from June. The SAAR of total urban starts decreased by 0.8% to 254,371 units in July. Multi-unit urban starts declined by 0.3% to 195,987 units, while single-detached urban starts decreased by 2.3% to 58,384 units.
Rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 20,958 units.
Key facts:
- 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 data on September 16 at 8:15 AM ET.
- Definitions and methodology to better understand the foundations of the Starts and Completions and Market Absorption surveys.
As a trusted source of housing information, CMHC provides unbiased housing-related data, research and market information to help close knowledge gaps, and deepen understanding of complex housing issues to inform future policy decisions. Housing starts facilitate the analysis of monthly, quarterly and year-over-year activity in the new home market. The data we collect as part of our 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.
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Associated links:
- The road ahead for the economy and housing
- Understanding Canada’s housing supply shortages
- Household projections for Canada’s major urban centres
Information on this release:
We encourage journalists to contact CMHC Media Relations and arrange to speak to our market analysts regarding the housing starts in their respective Canadian Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs).
Media Relations, CMHC
media@cmhc-schl.gc.ca
| Single-Detached | All Others | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2021 | July 2022 | % | July 2021 | July 2022 | % | July 2021 | July 2022 | % | |
| Provinces (10,000+) | |||||||||
| N.-L. | 43 | 73 | 70 | 24 | 4 | -83 | 67 | 77 | 15 |
| P.E.I. | 59 | 27 | -54 | 75 | 16 | -79 | 134 | 43 | -68 |
| N.S. | 155 | 142 | -8 | 256 | 479 | 87 | 411 | 621 | 51 |
| N.B. | 145 | 124 | -14 | 285 | 338 | 19 | 430 | 462 | 7 |
| Atlantic | 402 | 366 | -9 | 640 | 837 | 31 | 1,042 | 1,203 | 15 |
| Qc | 828 | 729 | -12 | 4,152 | 3,833 | -8 | 4,980 | 4,562 | -8 |
| Ont. | 2,623 | 2,216 | -16 | 5,561 | 5,980 | 8 | 8,184 | 8,196 | 0 |
| Man. | 273 | 269 | -1 | 280 | 304 | 9 | 553 | 573 | 4 |
| Sask. | 125 | 143 | 14 | 77 | 131 | 70 | 202 | 274 | 36 |
| Alta. | 1,301 | 1,378 | 6 | 1,404 | 2,176 | 55 | 2,705 | 3,554 | 31 |
| Prairies | 1,699 | 1,790 | 5 | 1,761 | 2,611 | 48 | 3,460 | 4,401 | 27 |
| B.C. | 702 | 671 | -4 | 3,254 | 3,196 | -2 | 3,956 | 3,867 | -2 |
| Canada (10,000+) | 6,254 | 5,772 | -8 | 15,368 | 16,457 | 7 | 21,622 | 22,229 | 3 |
| Metropolitan Areas | |||||||||
| Abbotsford-Mission | 20 | 26 | 30 | 19 | 130 | ## | 39 | 156 | 300 |
| Barrie | 91 | 188 | 107 | 235 | 141 | -40 | 326 | 329 | 1 |
| Belleville | 42 | 20 | -52 | 4 | 5 | 25 | 46 | 25 | -46 |
| Brantford | 9 | 71 | ## | 0 | 110 | ## | 9 | 181 | ## |
| Calgary | 504 | 523 | 4 | 900 | 1,356 | 51 | 1,404 | 1,879 | 34 |
| Edmonton | 583 | 625 | 7 | 434 | 752 | 73 | 1,017 | 1,377 | 35 |
| Greater Sudbury | 28 | 8 | -71 | 22 | 22 | – | 50 | 30 | -40 |
| Guelph | 18 | 12 | -33 | 157 | 17 | -89 | 175 | 29 | -83 |
| Halifax | 76 | 78 | 3 | 224 | 417 | 86 | 300 | 495 | 65 |
| Hamilton | 68 | 92 | 35 | 177 | 103 | -42 | 245 | 195 | -20 |
| Kelowna | 80 | 52 | -35 | 375 | 40 | -89 | 455 | 92 | -80 |
| Kingston | 39 | 49 | 26 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 55 | 71 | 29 |
| Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo | 61 | 93 | 52 | 427 | 305 | -29 | 488 | 398 | -18 |
| Lethbridge | 53 | 30 | -43 | 23 | 9 | -61 | 76 | 39 | -49 |
| London | 238 | 102 | -57 | 397 | 204 | -49 | 635 | 306 | -52 |
| Moncton | 48 | 49 | 2 | 105 | 185 | 76 | 153 | 234 | 53 |
| Montréal | 271 | 165 | -39 | 2,339 | 1,944 | -17 | 2,610 | 2,109 | -19 |
| Oshawa | 129 | 103 | -20 | 160 | 234 | 46 | 289 | 337 | 17 |
| Ottawa – Gatineau | 408 | 306 | -25 | 387 | 1,824 | 371 | 795 | 2,130 | 168 |
| Gatineau | 110 | 70 | -36 | 38 | 276 | ## | 148 | 346 | 134 |
| Ottawa | 298 | 236 | -21 | 349 | 1,548 | 344 | 647 | 1,784 | 176 |
| Peterborough | 60 | 41 | -32 | 0 | 0 | – | 60 | 41 | -32 |
| Québec | 103 | 102 | -1 | 1,303 | 521 | -60 | 1,406 | 623 | -56 |
| Regina | 31 | 39 | 26 | 24 | 44 | 83 | 55 | 83 | 51 |
| Saguenay | 20 | 36 | 80 | 16 | 12 | -25 | 36 | 48 | 33 |
| St. Catharines – Niagara | 132 | 130 | -2 | 72 | 26 | -64 | 204 | 156 | -24 |
| Saint John | 30 | 28 | -7 | 88 | 5 | -94 | 118 | 33 | -72 |
| St. John’s | 35 | 68 | 94 | 20 | 3 | -85 | 55 | 71 | 29 |
| Saskatoon | 82 | 95 | 16 | 49 | 77 | 57 | 131 | 172 | 31 |
| Sherbrooke | 46 | 42 | -9 | 74 | 70 | -5 | 120 | 112 | -7 |
| Thunder Bay | 19 | 23 | 21 | 60 | 19 | -68 | 79 | 42 | -47 |
| Toronto | 861 | 533 | -38 | 3,194 | 2,882 | -10 | 4,055 | 3,415 | -16 |
| Trois-Rivières | 22 | 17 | -23 | 88 | 66 | -25 | 110 | 83 | -25 |
| Vancouver | 257 | 276 | 7 | 1,818 | 1,700 | -6 | 2,075 | 1,976 | -5 |
| Victoria | 80 | 107 | 34 | 537 | 861 | 60 | 617 | 968 | 57 |
| Windsor | 57 | 68 | 19 | 36 | 90 | 150 | 93 | 158 | 70 |
| Winnipeg | 233 | 228 | -2 | 211 | 243 | 15 | 444 | 471 | 6 |
| Total | 4,834 | 4,425 | -8 | 13,991 | 14,439 | 3 | 18,825 | 18,864 | 0 |
Data for 2021 and 2022 based on 2016 Census Definitions.
Source: CMHC Starts and Completion Survey, Market Absorption Survey
## not calculable / extreme value
| Single-Detached | All Others | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2022 | July 2022 | % | June 2022 | July 2022 | % | June 2022 | July 2022 | % | |
| Provinces (10,000+) | |||||||||
| N.L. | 677 | 812 | 20 | 55 | 48 | -13 | 732 | 860 | 17 |
| P.E.I. | 146 | 217 | 49 | 624 | 192 | -69 | 770 | 409 | -47 |
| N.S. | 1,863 | 1,571 | -16 | 3,430 | 5,732 | 67 | 5,293 | 7,303 | 38 |
| N.B. | 988 | 899 | -9 | 4,204 | 3,958 | -6 | 5,192 | 4,857 | -6 |
| Qc | 7,281 | 7,120 | -2 | 40,034 | 45,689 | 14 | 47,315 | 52,809 | 12 |
| Ont. | 21,274 | 21,429 | 1 | 70,914 | 70,693 | 0 | 92,188 | 92,122 | 0 |
| Man. | 2,515 | 2,594 | 3 | 4,956 | 3,648 | -26 | 7,471 | 6,242 | -16 |
| Sask. | 1,476 | 1,475 | 0 | 5,160 | 1,572 | -70 | 6,636 | 3,047 | -54 |
| Alta. | 16,661 | 15,104 | -9 | 21,225 | 26,091 | 23 | 37,886 | 41,195 | 9 |
| B.C. | 6,853 | 7,163 | 5 | 45,993 | 38,364 | -17 | 52,846 | 45,527 | -14 |
| Canada (10,000+) | 59,734 | 58,384 | -2 | 196,595 | 195,987 | 0 | 256,329 | 254,371 | -1 |
| Canada (All Areas) | 71,465 | 72,578 | 2 | 200,918 | 202,749 | 1 | 272,381 | 275,329 | 1 |
| Metropolitan Areas | |||||||||
| Abbotsford-Mission | 435 | 391 | -10 | 1,524 | 1,560 | 2 | 1,959 | 1,951 | 0 |
| Barrie | 1,261 | 1,621 | 29 | 2,364 | 1,692 | -28 | 3,625 | 3,313 | -9 |
| Belleville | 332 | 195 | -41 | 96 | 60 | -38 | 428 | 255 | -40 |
| Brantford | 597 | 805 | 35 | 1,944 | 1,320 | -32 | 2,541 | 2,125 | -16 |
| Calgary | 6,234 | 6,207 | 0 | 15,984 | 16,272 | 2 | 22,218 | 22,479 | 1 |
| Edmonton | 8,018 | 6,931 | -14 | 4,104 | 9,024 | 120 | 12,122 | 15,955 | 32 |
| Greater Sudbury | 106 | 55 | -48 | 48 | 264 | 450 | 154 | 319 | 107 |
| Guelph | 257 | 136 | -47 | 660 | 204 | -69 | 917 | 340 | -63 |
| Halifax | 1,078 | 861 | -20 | 3,252 | 5,004 | 54 | 4,330 | 5,865 | 35 |
| Hamilton | 882 | 1,076 | 22 | 3,684 | 1,236 | -66 | 4,566 | 2,312 | -49 |
| Kelowna | 658 | 633 | -4 | 7,884 | 480 | -94 | 8,542 | 1,113 | -87 |
| Kingston | 296 | 460 | 55 | 312 | 264 | -15 | 608 | 724 | 19 |
| Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo | 1,951 | 1,225 | -37 | 4,512 | 3,660 | -19 | 6,463 | 4,885 | -24 |
| Lethbridge | 350 | 273 | -22 | 84 | 108 | 29 | 434 | 381 | -12 |
| London | 1,831 | 897 | -51 | 960 | 2,448 | 155 | 2,791 | 3,345 | 20 |
| Moncton | 294 | 346 | 18 | 2,748 | 2,220 | -19 | 3,042 | 2,566 | -16 |
| Montréal | 2,594 | 1,694 | -35 | 33,872 | 23,239 | -31 | 36,466 | 24,933 | -32 |
| Oshawa | 1,116 | 1,160 | 4 | 2,460 | 2,808 | 14 | 3,576 | 3,968 | 11 |
| Ottawa – Gatineau | 2,973 | 2,999 | 1 | 7,668 | 21,888 | 185 | 10,641 | 24,887 | 134 |
| Gatineau | 577 | 679 | 18 | 1,260 | 3,312 | 163 | 1,837 | 3,991 | 117 |
| Ottawa | 2,396 | 2,320 | -3 | 6,408 | 18,576 | 190 | 8,804 | 20,896 | 137 |
| Peterborough | 411 | 314 | -24 | 0 | 0 | – | 411 | 314 | -24 |
| Québec | 828 | 962 | 16 | 7,080 | 6,252 | -12 | 7,908 | 7,214 | -9 |
| Regina | 405 | 459 | 13 | 540 | 528 | -2 | 945 | 987 | 4 |
| Saguenay | 160 | 309 | 93 | 432 | 144 | -67 | 592 | 453 | -23 |
| St. Catharines – Niagara | 1,149 | 1,167 | 2 | 480 | 312 | -35 | 1,629 | 1,479 | -9 |
| Saint John | 288 | 248 | -14 | 24 | 60 | 150 | 312 | 308 | -1 |
| St. John’s | 509 | 773 | 52 | 48 | 36 | -25 | 557 | 809 | 45 |
| Saskatoon | 858 | 944 | 10 | 4,608 | 924 | -80 | 5,466 | 1,868 | -66 |
| Sherbrooke | 324 | 465 | 44 | 804 | 840 | 4 | 1,128 | 1,305 | 16 |
| Thunder Bay | 106 | 155 | 46 | 480 | 228 | -53 | 586 | 383 | -35 |
| Toronto | 4,565 | 4,521 | -1 | 45,360 | 34,584 | -24 | 49,925 | 39,105 | -22 |
| Trois-Rivières | 286 | 204 | -29 | 1,164 | 792 | -32 | 1,450 | 996 | -31 |
| Vancouver | 3,043 | 2,918 | -4 | 29,352 | 20,400 | -30 | 32,395 | 23,318 | -28 |
| Victoria | 416 | 1,021 | 145 | 2,244 | 10,332 | 360 | 2,660 | 11,353 | 327 |
| Windsor | 576 | 679 | 18 | 792 | 1,080 | 36 | 1,368 | 1,759 | 29 |
| Winnipeg | 2,188 | 2,211 | 1 | 3,828 | 2,916 | -24 | 6,016 | 5,127 | -15 |
Data for 2021 and 2022 based on 2016 Census Definitions.
Source: CMHC Starts and Completion Survey, Market Absorption Survey
