Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) reported a notable rise in housing starts in April, marking a 2.4 per cent increase to 240,905 units. The trend measure, a six-month moving average, reflects heightened activity in Quebec and the Prairie provinces, while Ontario and British Columbia both saw declines.

“The increased starts activity in April was driven by increases across all housing types in Québec and the Prairie provinces, while starts in Ontario and British Columbia declined on a year-over-year basis again this month,” said Kevin Hughes, CMHC’s Deputy Chief Economist. The current economic uncertainty will have consequences for the supply and demand of new housing. CMHC will be monitoring these effects closely over the coming months.”

Key statistics include a 30 per cent monthly SAAR increase in April, amounting to 278,606 units. Actual housing starts in centres with populations above 10,000 reached 21,720 units, a 17 per cent year-over-year rise, setting a record for April.

Notably, Montreal experienced a 64 per cent increase in starts, driven by multi-unit projects, while Vancouver saw a 6 per cent rise. Conversely, Toronto reported a 25 per cent decline in housing starts compared to April 2024.

For more information on monthly housing starts in Canada visit: Monthly Housing Starts and Other Construction Data Tables | CMHC