Housing starts and construction data for August 2026

OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 16, 2026 /CNW/ -- The six-month trend in housing starts was down 1.3% in August compared to July to 244,149 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.

Housing Starts in Canada - All Areas

CMHC Deputy Chief Economist, Kevin Hughes

Actual monthly housing starts were down 2% year-over-year in centres with a population of 10,000 or more, with 17,691 units recorded in August, compared to 18,112 units in August 2025. The year-to-date total was 149,542 units, down 4% from the same period in 2025.

The total monthly SAAR of housing starts for all areas in Canada was flat in August (229,046 units) compared to July (229,360 units).

The number of units under construction in centres with a population of 50,000 or more in August was flat, down 0.4% month-over-month to 371,658 units compared to July. Completions decreased with construction finishing on 17,550 units, down 11.2% compared to July. The number of units with approved building permits but not yet started increased slightly (+0.7%) month-to-month to 142,423 units in August.

Quote:

"Housing starts continued to trend slightly down in August, as modest gains in Quebec and Alberta only partially offset the decline in other provinces, most notably, Ontario," said Kevin Hughes, Deputy Chief Economist at CMHC. "The latest results are consistent with CMHC's Housing Market Outlook. While the current pace of starts is elevated compared to recent years, we expect the downward trend to continue as construction activity moderates in the coming months especially towards the end of the year"

Key Facts:

• The rural starts monthly SAAR estimate was 11,224 units.
• Among Canada's three biggest CMAs, Montreal posted a 6% month-to-month increase in the six-month trend, driven by higher starts of all types. Vancouver also recorded a 6% increase due to higher multi-unit starts while the trend measure in Toronto was flat, as the trends for both single-detached and multi-unit starts were unchanged.
• 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 September housing starts data on October 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.

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Related Links:

• Housing starts for June 2026
• Canada Housing Market Outlook: Summer 2026 | CMHC
• 2026 Mid-Year Rental Market Update | CMHC
• Supplying smarter: Learning to make housing supply more responsive | CMHC
• Spring 2026 Housing Supply Report

Housing Construction Indicators, by Province for Centres 50,000 Population and Over
July 2026-August 2026
Province/Centre	Approved Units* Awaiting Housing Start			Under Construction (Units)			Completions (Units)
	July 2026	August 2026	%	July 2026	August 2026	%	July 2026	August 2026	%
Provinces
N.L.	509	498	-2.2	957	991	3.6	83	99	19.3
P.E.I.	316	322	1.9	1,093	1,140	4.3	60	11	-81.7
N.S.	3,149	2,968	-5.7	14,978	14,638	-2.3	119	792	##
N.B.	1,725	1,778	3.1	5,668	5,790	2.2	460	463	0.7
Atlantic	5,699	5,566	-2.3	22,696	22,559	-0.6	722	1,365	89.1
Que.	33,975	36,024	6	57,466	56,744	-1.3	7,491	3,510	-53.1
Ont.	30,839	32,006	3.8	151,670	149,314	-1.6	4,037	5,901	46.2
Man.	3,820	4,068	6.5	9,495	9,384	-1.2	419	451	7.6
Sask.	1,820	1,678	-7.8	6,889	6,724	-2.4	247	796	##
Alta.	23,565	22,829	-3.1	44,540	45,320	1.8	3,805	3,487	-8.4
Prairies	29,205	28,575	-2.2	60,924	61,428	0.8	4,471	4,734	5.9
B.C.	41,762	40,252	-3.6	80,335	81,613	1.6	3,052	2,040	-33.2
Canada 50,000+	141,480	142,423	0.7	373,091	371,658	-0.4	19,773	17,550	-11.2
Metropolitan Areas
Abbotsford-Mission	2,099	1,964	-6.4	2,887	2,874	-0.5	168	45	-73.2
Barrie	558	503	-9.9	2,414	2,452	1.6	87	61	-29.9
Belleville - Quinte West	114	110	-3.5	899	847	-5.8	18	81	##
Brantford	447	467	4.5	1,640	1,320	-19.5	246	354	43.9
Calgary	17,698	17,069	-3.6	24,547	25,049	2	1,879	1,715	-8.7
Chilliwack	82	205	150	1,266	1,235	-2.4	23	40	73.9
Drummondville	247	239	-3.2	905	917	1.3	203	59	-70.9
Edmonton	5,316	5,262	-1	18,289	18,544	1.4	1,729	1,532	-11.4
Fredericton	125	359	187.2	1,826	1,862	2	32	28	-12.5
Greater/Grand Sudbury	38	33	-13.2	547	588	7.5	30	5	-83.3
Guelph	138	197	42.8	252	253	0.4	189	5	-97.4
Halifax	3,060	2,785	-9	14,751	14,400	-2.4	116	776	##
Hamilton	531	710	33.7	6,920	6,715	-3	327	272	-16.8
Kamloops	335	435	29.9	929	921	-0.9	201	10	-95
Kelowna	1,295	1,244	-3.9	4,302	4,034	-6.2	20	287	##
Kingston	450	617	37.1	1,911	1,937	1.4	23	22	-4.3
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo	681	702	3.1	7,712	6,884	-10.7	563	951	68.9
Lethbridge	361	326	-9.7	573	553	-3.5	56	82	46.4
London	1,886	1,899	0.7	6,649	6,457	-2.9	86	373	##
Moncton	1,033	862	-16.6	3,023	3,136	3.7	368	231	-37.2
Montréal	19,068	20,686	8.5	34,809	34,664	-0.4	3,403	2,070	-39.2
Nanaimo	212	205	-3.3	1,203	1,220	1.4	25	22	-12
Oshawa	844	812	-3.8	2,864	2,872	0.3	83	73	-12
Ottawa-Gatineau	6,664	6,021	-9.6	20,828	21,244	2	1,675	895	-46.6
Gatineau	1,692	1,934	14.3	3,556	3,339	-6.1	832	304	-63.5
Ottawa	4,972	4,087	-17.8	17,272	17,905	3.7	843	591	-29.9
Peterborough	132	129	-2.3	140	148	5.7	4	8	100
Québec	8,112	8,267	1.9	10,455	10,275	-1.7	1,746	431	-75.3
Red Deer	31	30	-3.2	312	312	0	32	18	-43.8
Regina	494	340	-31.2	2,015	2,258	12.1	25	62	148
Saguenay	986	946	-4.1	893	874	-2.1	187	116	-38
St. Catharines-Niagara	1,120	1,202	7.3	4,727	4,565	-3.4	74	272	##
Saint John	567	557	-1.8	819	792	-3.3	60	204	##
St. John's	509	498	-2.2	957	991	3.6	83	99	19.3
Saskatoon	1,326	1,338	0.9	4,874	4,466	-8.4	222	734	##
Sherbrooke	721	695	-3.6	1,885	1,786	-5.3	297	211	-29
Thunder Bay	140	136	-2.9	486	488	0.4	5	23	##
Toronto	17,878	19,516	9.2	92,749	91,584	-1.3	1,009	2,362	134.1
Trois-Rivières	910	943	3.6	833	754	-9.5	390	130	-66.7
Vancouver	35,751	33,456	-6.4	59,595	61,331	2.9	2,123	1,332	-37.3
Victoria	1,828	2,616	43.1	8,747	8,565	-2.1	433	248	-42.7
Windsor	261	250	-4.2	1,521	1,359	-10.7	176	248	40.9
Winnipeg	3,706	3,951	6.6	9,105	9,028	-0.8	381	412	8.1
CMA Total	137,754	138,582	0.6	362,059	360,554	-0.4	18,797	16,899	-10.1
*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 Starts - Seasonally Adjusted at Annual Rates - 6 Month Moving Average (Trend)
August 2026
		Single-Detached			All Others
								Total
		July 2026	August 2026	%	July 2026	August 2026	%	July 2026	August 2026	w
Provinces (10,000+)
Nfld.Lab.		633	628	-1	731	751	3	1,364	1,379	1
P.E.I.		279	262	-6	1,358	1,212	-11	1,637	1,474	-10
N.S.		1,368	1,430	5	5,118	4,931	-4	6,486	6,361	-2
N.B.		843	921	9	3,810	4,003	5	4,653	4,924	6
Que.		4,966	4,796	-3	55,822	56,551	1	60,787	61,346	1
Ont.		9,566	9,882	3	53,804	49,051	-9	63,370	58,933	-7
Man.		2,229	2,230	0	6,714	5,980	-11	8,943	8,210	-8
Sask.		1,921	1,835	-4	4,398	4,890	11	6,319	6,725	6
Alta.		13,363	13,930	4	31,753	32,666	3	45,116	46,596	3
B.C.		3,629	3,522	-3	33,410	33,100	-1	37,039	36,622	-1
Canada (10,000+)		38,797	39,435	2	196,918	193,136	-2	235,715	232,571	-1
Canada (All Areas)		44,372	45,067	2	203,073	199,081	-2	247,446	244,149	-1
Metropolitan Areas
Abbotsford-Mission		109	95	-13	1,408	1,442	2	1,516	1,537	1
Barrie		221	262	19	860	928	8	1,081	1,190	10
Belleville - Quinte West		144	177	23	162	172	6	306	349	14
Brantford		177	179	1	732	742	1	909	921	1
Calgary		5,807	6,212	7	15,888	17,086	8	21,695	23,298	7
Chilliwack		123	107	-13	834	826	-1	957	933	-3
Drummondville		211	193	-9	1,104	1,156	5	1,315	1,349	3
Edmonton		5,825	5,985	3	13,648	13,726	1	19,473	19,712	1
Fredericton		246	305	24	1,090	1,094	0	1,336	1,399	5
Greater/Grand Sudbury		86	95	10	152	200	32	238	295	24
Guelph		26	25	-4	102	94	-8	128	119	-7
Halifax		625	609	-3	4,122	4,112	0	4,747	4,721	-1
Hamilton		230	219	-5	1,700	800	-53	1,930	1,019	-47
Kamloops		80	74	-8	1,104	1,054	-5	1,184	1,128	-5
Kelowna		189	175	-7	1,932	1,338	-31	2,121	1,513	-29
Kingston		149	155	4	500	556	11	649	711	10
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo		346	385	11	4,708	2,762	-41	5,054	3,147	-38
Lethbridge		283	282	0	752	770	2	1,035	1,052	2
London		505	556	10	4,050	4,242	5	4,555	4,798	5
Moncton		266	276	4	2,007	2,369	18	2,272	2,645	16
Montréal		1,230	1,251	2	27,487	29,240	6	28,717	30,492	6
Nanaimo		134	143	7	918	968	5	1,052	1,111	6
Oshawa		289	219	-24	506	494	-2	795	713	-10
Ottawa-Gatineau		2,330	2,420	4	12,534	12,163	-3	14,864	14,583	-2
Gatineau		359	362	1	3,050	2,736	-10	3,409	3,097	-9
Ottawa		1,971	2,058	4	9,484	9,427	-1	11,455	11,486	0
Peterborough		98	102	4	136	136	-	234	238	2
Québec		776	764	-2	9,144	9,038	-1	9,920	9,801	-1
Red Deer		130	130	-	402	396	-1	532	526	-1
Regina		448	394	-12	1,514	1,948	29	1,962	2,342	19
Saguenay		183	185	1	1,114	1,208	8	1,297	1,393	7
St. Catharines-Niagara		386	422	9	2,338	1,840	-21	2,724	2,262	-17
Saint John		204	191	-6	174	394	126	377	585	55
St. John's		536	556	4	656	716	9	1,192	1,272	7
Saskatoon		1,391	1,347	-3	2,858	2,908	2	4,248	4,255	0
Sherbrooke		308	296	-4	2,204	1,978	-10	2,512	2,274	-9
Thunder Bay		91	82	-10	280	280	-	371	362	-2
Toronto		2,612	2,611	0	22,500	22,520	0	25,112	25,131	0
Trois-Rivières		132	140	6	1,068	1,190	11	1,200	1,330	11
Vancouver		1,935	1,857	-4	21,270	22,666	7	23,205	24,523	6
Victoria		287	295	3	2,978	2,772	-7	3,265	3,067	-6
Windsor		346	376	9	634	708	12	980	1,084	11
Winnipeg		1,889	1,869	-1	6,098	5,490	-10	7,987	7,359	-8
Data based on 2021 Census Definitions.     Source:  Market Analysis Centre, CMHC

Housing Start Data in Centres 10,000 Population and Over
January - August 2025 - 2026
Area		Single-Detached			All Others			Total
Province
		2025	2026	%	2025	2026	%	2025	2026	%
N.L.		430	430	-	245	444	81	675	874	29
P.E.I.		205	165	-20	799	826	3	1,004	991	-1
N.S.		1,027	876	-15	4,956	3,287	-34	5,983	4,163	-30
N.B.		589	566	-4	2,884	2,540	-12	3,473	3,106	-11
Atlantic		2,251	2,037	-10	8,884	7,097	-20	11,135	9,134	-18
Que.		3,034	3,176	5	30,147	31,854	6	33,181	35,030	6
Ont.		6,327	6,293	-1	32,319	33,530	4	38,646	39,823	3
Man.		1,511	1,440	-5	2,770	3,736	35	4,281	5,176	21
Sask.		1,084	1,159	7	2,490	2,787	12	3,574	3,946	10
Alta.		10,506	9,088	-13	25,671	21,469	-16	36,177	30,557	-16
Prairies		13,101	11,687	-11	30,931	27,992	-10	44,032	39,679	-10
B.C.		2,616	2,373	-9	26,048	23,503	-10	28,664	25,876	-10
Canada		27,329	25,566	-6	128,329	123,976	-3	155,658	149,542	-4
Metropolitan Areas
Abbotsford-Mission		118	72	-39	1,459	752	-48	1,577	824	-48
Barrie		102	164	61	490	500	2	592	664	12
Belleville - Quinte West		105	101	-4	272	90	-67	377	191	-49
Brantford		210	157	-25	1,230	584	-53	1,440	741	-49
Calgary		4,596	3,981	-13	14,036	11,096	-21	18,632	15,077	-19
Chilliwack		86	73	-15	269	430	60	355	503	42
Drummondville		154	146	-5	645	662	3	799	808	1
Edmonton		4,732	3,941	-17	9,969	8,713	-13	14,701	12,654	-14
Fredericton		164	198	21	670	639	-5	834	837	0
Greater/Grand Sudbury		65	61	-6	125	107	-14	190	168	-12
Guelph		21	16	-24	78	66	-15	99	82	-17
Halifax		524	400	-24	4,442	2,660	-40	4,966	3,060	-38
Hamilton		212	128	-40	1,826	1,053	-42	2,038	1,181	-42
Kamloops		57	67	18	300	950	##	357	1,017	185
Kelowna		175	129	-26	1,862	1,184	-36	2,037	1,313	-36
Kingston		122	109	-11	734	290	-60	856	399	-53
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo		244	262	7	2,022	2,560	27	2,266	2,822	25
Lethbridge		232	176	-24	199	425	114	431	601	39
London		320	348	9	981	2,514	156	1,301	2,862	120
Moncton		192	147	-23	1,756	1,454	-17	1,948	1,601	-18
Montréal		832	823	-1	15,889	16,939	7	16,721	17,762	6
Nanaimo		59	80	36	278	494	78	337	574	70
Oshawa		260	203	-22	426	292	-31	686	495	-28
Ottawa-Gatineau		1,124	1,428	27	7,292	7,789	7	8,416	9,217	10
Gatineau		286	252	-12	1,436	1,711	19	1,722	1,963	14
Ottawa		838	1,176	40	5,856	6,078	4	6,694	7,254	8
Peterborough		51	64	25	17	68	##	68	132	94
Québec		457	532	16	5,457	5,413	-1	5,914	5,945	1
Red Deer		89	73	-18	232	215	-7	321	288	-10
Regina		235	281	20	858	1,044	22	1,093	1,325	21
Saguenay		166	143	-14	271	694	156	437	837	92
St. Catharines-Niagara		298	287	-4	1,166	1,349	16	1,464	1,636	12
Saint John		144	130	-10	172	211	23	316	341	8
St. John's		398	389	-2	238	406	71	636	795	25
Saskatoon		801	846	6	1,544	1,725	12	2,345	2,571	10
Sherbrooke		179	200	12	766	1,224	60	945	1,424	51
Thunder Bay		59	47	-20	63	236	##	122	283	132
Toronto		2,044	1,575	-23	14,407	14,382	0	16,451	15,957	-3
Trois-Rivières		117	98	-16	801	651	-19	918	749	-18
Vancouver		1,347	1,258	-7	17,058	16,040	-6	18,405	17,298	-6
Victoria		190	186	-2	3,357	1,913	-43	3,547	2,099	-41
Windsor		226	224	-1	515	370	-28	741	594	-20
Winnipeg		1,333	1,234	-7	2,376	3,341	41	3,709	4,575	23
Total		22,840	20,777	-9	116,548	111,525	-4	139,388	132,302	-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
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	August 2025	August 2026	%	August 2025	August 2026	%	August 2025	August 2026	%
Provinces (10,000+)
N.-L.	59	75	27	33	55	67	92	130	41
P.E.I.	30	19	-37	164	39	-76	194	58	-70
N.S.	147	112	-24	434	424	-2	581	536	-8
N.B.	137	130	-5	490	451	-8	627	581	-7
Atlantic	373	336	-10	1,121	969	-14	1,494	1,305	-13
Qc	408	399	-2	2,496	3,255	30	2,904	3,654	26
Ont.	987	1,072	9	3,995	2,810	-30	4,982	3,882	-22
Man.	202	201	0	581	193	-67	783	394	-50
Sask.	159	147	-8	227	492	117	386	639	66
Alta.	1,269	1,589	25	2,640	2,850	8	3,909	4,439	14
Prairies	1,630	1,937	19	3,448	3,535	3	5,078	5,472	8
B.C.	387	320	-17	3,267	3,058	-6	3,654	3,378	-8
Canada (10,000+)	3,785	4,064	7	14,327	13,627	-5	18,112	17,691	-2
Metropolitan Areas
Abbotsford-Mission	19	11	-42	67	24	-64	86	35	-59
Barrie	10	35	##	18	64	##	28	99	##
Belleville - Quinte West	16	24	50	1	5	##	17	29	71
Brantford	22	29	32	176	5	-97	198	34	-83
Calgary	467	715	53	1,564	1,507	-4	2,031	2,222	9
Chilliwack	15	3	-80	3	6	100	18	9	-50
Drummondville	14	12	-14	77	59	-23	91	71	-22
Edmonton	629	685	9	1,013	1,111	10	1,642	1,796	9
Fredericton	28	53	89	51	12	-76	79	65	-18
Greater/Grand Sudbury	12	20	67	14	27	93	26	47	81
Guelph	5	5	-	1	2	100	6	7	17
Halifax	81	38	-53	371	378	2	452	416	-8
Hamilton	52	16	-69	168	51	-70	220	67	-70
Kamloops	0	3	##	0	0	-	0	3	##
Kelowna	13	22	69	13	33	154	26	55	112
Kingston	14	19	36	4	29	##	18	48	167
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo	36	47	31	613	55	-91	649	102	-84
Lethbridge	18	19	6	1	43	##	19	62	##
London	38	75	97	86	138	60	124	213	72
Moncton	58	40	-31	327	296	-9	385	336	-13
Montréal	81	89	10	1,557	1,808	16	1,638	1,897	16
Nanaimo	10	11	10	109	28	-74	119	39	-67
Oshawa	72	49	-32	190	32	-83	262	81	-69
Ottawa-Gatineau	177	217	23	354	1,105	##	531	1,322	149
Gatineau	50	34	-32	101	53	-48	151	87	-42
Ottawa	127	183	44	253	1,052	##	380	1,235	##
Peterborough	10	16	60	0	0	-	10	16	60
Québec	55	71	29	360	613	70	415	684	65
Red Deer	11	10	-9	13	8	-38	24	18	-25
Regina	37	35	-5	47	268	##	84	303	##
Saguenay	24	27	13	20	70	##	44	97	120
St. Catharines-Niagara	37	31	-16	194	80	-59	231	111	-52
Saint John	31	17	-45	12	116	##	43	133	##
St. John's	52	69	33	33	55	67	85	124	46
Saskatoon	116	105	-9	180	219	22	296	324	9
Sherbrooke	26	30	15	34	82	141	60	112	87
Thunder Bay	13	9	-31	0	16	##	13	25	92
Toronto	320	220	-31	1,836	972	-47	2,156	1,192	-45
Trois-Rivières	15	20	33	118	69	-42	133	89	-33
Vancouver	209	165	-21	2,317	2,802	21	2,526	2,967	17
Victoria	32	25	-22	595	36	-94	627	61	-90
Windsor	38	38	-	46	45	-2	84	83	-1
Winnipeg	155	161	4	517	174	-66	672	335	-50
Total	3,068	3,286	7	13,100	12,443	-5	16,168	15,729	-3
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

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

Information on this release: To request an interview with a CMHC economist, contact: Media Relations, CMHC, [email protected]