Housing starts and construction data for May 2026

OTTAWA, ON, June 15, 2026 /CNW/ - The six-month trend in housing starts was virtually flat in May, with a slight increase of 0.5% to 258,010 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

Actual monthly housing starts were down 5.2% year-over-year in centres with a population of 10,000 or more, with 22,633 units recorded in May, compared to 23,879 units in May 2025. The year-to-date total was 93,644 units, up 3% from the same period in 2025, driven by higher starts in British Columbia and Ontario, outweighing year-over-year decreases in the Prairies.

The total monthly SAAR of housing starts for all areas in Canada decreased 6% in May (261,377 units) compared to April (278,380 units).

The number of units under construction in centres with a population of 50,000 or more rose 0.9% month-over-month to 374,662 units in May. Completions also increased, with construction finished on 16,880 units, up 10.6% compared to April. The number of units with approved building permits but not yet started fell 2.4% month-over-month to 138,842 units in May.

Quote:

"May's data showed mixed results. Year-to-date housing starts are slightly up from last year, and the monthly starts trend was basically flat, while units under construction and completions increased. Overall, these results suggest that construction activity is uneven and taken together with the decline of approved units not yet started and market intelligence point to weaker momentum for future supply," said Aled Ab Iorwerth, Deputy Chief Economist at CMHC.

Key Facts:

• The rural starts monthly SAAR estimate was 14,357 units.
• Among Canada's three biggest CMAs, Montreal posted a 18% year-over-year increase in actual housing starts this month driven by higher multi-unit. Vancouver recorded a 7% decrease due to lower multi-unit starts while Toronto starts decreased 12%.
• Read more about why housing starts 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 June housing starts data on July 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 facilitate the analysis of monthly, quarterly, and year-over-year 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 April 2026
• 2026 Mid-Year Rental Market Update | CMHC
• Supplying smarter: Learning to make housing supply more responsive | CMHC
• Development charges: cities aren't created equally | CMHC
• Spring 2026 Housing Supply Report

Housing Construction Indicators, by Province for Centres 50,000 Population and Over
April 2026-May 2026
Province/Centre	Approved Units* Awaiting Housing Start			Under Construction (Units)			Completions (Units)
	April 2026	May 2026	%	April 2026	May 2026	%	April 2026	May 2026	%
Provinces
N.L.	413	331	-19.9	851	836	-1.8	119	97	-18.5
P.E.I.	294	351	19.4	879	999	13.7	37	65	75.7
N.S.	3,858	3,061	-20.7	13,694	14,388	5.1	157	102	-35
N.B.	1,378	1,168	-15.2	5,877	5,854	-0.4	472	438	-7.2
Atlantic	5,943	4,911	-17.4	21,301	22,077	3.6	785	702	-10.6
Que.	34,533	33,570	-2.8	58,963	60,626	2.8	2,764	3,371	22
Ont.	29,408	28,558	-2.9	149,423	150,477	0.7	4,028	4,133	2.6
Man.	4,248	4,175	-1.7	9,161	9,646	5.3	195	200	2.6
Sask.	2,068	1,894	-8.4	5,823	6,271	7.7	549	248	-54.8
Alta.	24,139	23,799	-1.4	43,156	43,793	1.5	3,535	4,065	15
Prairies	30,455	29,868	-1.9	58,140	59,710	2.7	4,279	4,513	5.5
B.C.	41,985	41,935	-0.1	83,364	81,772	-1.9	3,401	4,161	22.3
Canada 50,000+	142,324	138,842	-2.4	371,191	374,662	0.9	15,257	16,880	10.6
Metropolitan Areas
Abbotsford-Mission	2,373	2,042	-13.9	2,766	3,044	10.1	186	189	1.6
Barrie	644	633	-1.7	2,030	2,155	6.2	52	15	-71.2
Belleville - Quinte West	147	150	2	819	817	-0.2	17	17	0
Brantford	410	389	-5.1	1,858	1,985	6.8	44	54	22.7
Calgary	18,779	17,849	-5	24,095	24,375	1.2	2,097	2,432	16
Chilliwack	150	151	0.7	1,209	1,220	0.9	137	8	-94.2
Drummondville	292	240	-17.8	1,032	1,022	-1	89	122	37.1
Edmonton	4,838	5,240	8.3	16,924	17,440	3	1,362	1,413	3.7
Fredericton	287	162	-43.6	1,440	1,403	-2.6	266	162	-39.1
Greater/Grand Sudbury	49	40	-18.4	572	537	-6.1	50	50	0
Guelph	111	115	3.6	545	423	-22.4	62	128	106.5
Halifax	3,750	2,992	-20.2	13,549	14,224	5	127	84	-33.9
Hamilton	376	513	36.4	6,994	6,960	-0.5	452	42	-90.7
Kamloops	333	421	26.4	1,252	1,275	1.8	28	33	17.9
Kelowna	1,376	1,184	-14	4,442	4,488	1	537	198	-63.1
Kingston	619	402	-35.1	1,835	2,039	11.1	12	13	8.3
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo	780	619	-20.6	7,997	8,002	0.1	253	264	4.3
Lethbridge	360	492	36.7	836	796	-4.8	33	60	81.8
London	1,616	1,684	4.2	6,738	6,763	0.4	64	99	54.7
Moncton	603	550	-8.8	3,467	3,461	-0.2	171	238	39.2
Montréal	20,546	20,027	-2.5	34,410	35,838	4.1	1,537	1,750	13.9
Nanaimo	258	314	21.7	1,126	1,136	0.9	28	13	-53.6
Oshawa	755	822	8.9	2,760	2,746	-0.5	614	54	-91.2
Ottawa-Gatineau	6,011	6,295	4.7	21,555	21,418	-0.6	975	1,124	15.3
Gatineau	2,090	1,842	-11.9	4,229	4,206	-0.5	138	360	160.9
Ottawa	3,921	4,453	13.6	17,326	17,212	-0.7	837	764	-8.7
Peterborough	122	127	4.1	62	64	3.2	9	3	-66.7
Québec	7,891	7,328	-7.1	10,844	11,201	3.3	426	684	60.6
Red Deer	40	43	7.5	422	296	-29.9	21	151	##
Regina	181	331	82.9	1,781	1,830	2.8	81	38	-53.1
Saguenay	817	930	13.8	1,045	924	-11.6	88	30	-65.9
St. Catharines-Niagara	830	1,219	46.9	4,350	4,391	0.9	47	124	163.8
Saint John	488	456	-6.6	970	990	2.1	35	38	8.6
St. John's	413	331	-19.9	851	836	-1.8	119	97	-18.5
Saskatoon	1,887	1,563	-17.2	4,042	4,441	9.9	468	210	-55.1
Sherbrooke	449	610	35.9	2,040	2,094	2.6	206	93	-54.9
Thunder Bay	192	154	-19.8	359	441	22.8	13	5	-61.5
Toronto	17,732	16,195	-8.7	90,550	91,382	0.9	1,376	2,224	61.6
Trois-Rivières	656	767	16.9	1,012	995	-1.7	17	131	##
Vancouver	35,830	36,118	0.8	61,945	60,059	-3	2,345	3,354	43
Victoria	1,492	1,538	3.1	9,262	9,148	-1.2	48	347	##
Windsor	265	274	3.4	1,598	1,654	3.5	75	32	-57.3
Winnipeg	4,142	4,084	-1.4	8,773	9,246	5.4	188	195	3.7
CMA Total	138,890	135,394	-2.5	360,157	363,559	0.9	14,755	16,318	10.6

*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 Start - Seasonally Adjusted at Annual Rates - 6 Month Moving Average (Trend)
May 2026
		Single-Detached			All Others			Total
		April 2026	May 2026	%	April 2026	May 2026	%	April 2026	May 2026	%
Provinces (10,000+)
Nfld.Lab.		704	672	-5	763	688	-10	1,466	1,360	-7
P.E.I.		270	289	7	976	1,232	26	1,246	1,521	22
N.S.		1,456	1,447	-1	5,163	5,862	14	6,619	7,308	10
N.B.		1,073	1,011	-6	4,648	3,537	-24	5,721	4,548	-21
Que.		5,391	5,509	2	55,348	54,232	-2	60,739	59,741	-2
Ont.		9,583	9,465	-1	59,820	62,070	4	69,403	71,535	3
Man.		2,141	2,208	3	5,808	4,944	-15	7,949	7,152	-10
Sask.		1,875	1,951	4	2,520	3,308	31	4,395	5,259	20
Alta.		13,135	13,429	2	29,703	30,204	2	42,839	43,632	2
B.C.		4,142	4,077	-2	39,558	39,033	-1	43,700	43,110	-1
Canada (10,000+)		39,770	40,059	1	204,306	205,109	0	244,077	245,168	0
Canada (All Areas)		46,019	46,285	1	210,627	211,725	1	256,646	258,010	1
Metropolitan Areas
Abbotsford-Mission		186	164	-12	548	1,402	156	734	1,566	113
Barrie		209	132	-37	202	374	85	411	506	23
Belleville - Quinte West		126	131	4	184	144	-22	310	275	-11
Brantford		305	257	-16	840	1,136	35	1,144	1,393	22
Calgary		5,825	5,813	0	14,650	15,134	3	20,475	20,947	2
Chilliwack		124	118	-5	850	762	-10	974	880	-10
Drummondville		229	227	-1	1,428	1,254	-12	1,657	1,481	-11
Edmonton		5,526	5,822	5	12,198	12,330	1	17,724	18,152	2
Fredericton		282	245	-13	674	436	-35	956	681	-29
Greater/Grand Sudbury		87	92	6	338	142	-58	425	234	-45
Guelph		32	29	-9	416	404	-3	448	433	-3
Halifax		686	699	2	3,826	4,552	19	4,512	5,251	16
Hamilton		303	240	-21	3,162	3,094	-2	3,465	3,334	-4
Kamloops		132	123	-7	1,682	1,730	3	1,814	1,853	2
Kelowna		224	216	-4	1,780	1,844	4	2,004	2,060	3
Kingston		240	164	-32	200	614	207	440	778	77
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo		389	387	-1	5,236	5,620	7	5,625	6,007	7
Lethbridge		320	312	-3	490	490	-	810	802	-1
London		419	448	7	4,630	4,206	-9	5,049	4,654	-8
Moncton		372	345	-7	2,420	1,967	-19	2,792	2,312	-17
Montréal		1,356	1,368	1	24,700	24,388	-1	26,055	25,757	-1
Nanaimo		117	110	-6	634	604	-5	751	714	-5
Oshawa		494	499	1	342	174	-49	836	673	-19
Ottawa-Gatineau		1,977	2,065	4	13,393	13,318	-1	15,370	15,383	0
Gatineau		390	411	5	2,457	3,058	24	2,848	3,469	22
Ottawa		1,587	1,654	4	10,936	10,260	-6	12,522	11,914	-5
Peterborough		66	71	8	22	22	-	88	93	6
Québec		742	736	-1	6,506	7,048	8	7,248	7,784	7
Red Deer		82	108	32	358	366	2	439	474	8
Regina		496	485	-2	1,022	1,062	4	1,517	1,547	2
Saguenay		239	226	-5	1,134	1,084	-4	1,373	1,310	-5
St. Catharines-Niagara		580	550	-5	3,014	2,886	-4	3,594	3,436	-4
Saint John		265	284	7	370	192	-48	635	476	-25
St. John's		561	535	-5	612	536	-12	1,173	1,071	-9
Saskatoon		1,358	1,447	7	1,472	2,214	50	2,830	3,661	29
Sherbrooke		218	265	22	2,532	2,190	-14	2,750	2,455	-11
Thunder Bay		91	90	-1	214	366	71	305	456	50
Toronto		2,352	2,363	0	22,848	25,220	10	25,200	27,583	9
Trois-Rivières		156	138	-12	832	828	0	988	966	-2
Vancouver		2,101	2,126	1	26,296	24,794	-6	28,397	26,920	-5
Victoria		317	298	-6	4,274	4,218	-1	4,591	4,516	-2
Windsor		289	309	7	990	684	-31	1,279	993	-22
Winnipeg		1,846	1,931	5	4,964	4,282	-14	6,810	6,212	-9

Data based on 2021 Census Definitions.

Source: Market Analysis Centre, CMHC

Housing Start Data in Centres 10,000 Population and Over
January - May 2025 - 2026
Area		Single-Detached			All Others			Total
Province
		2025	2026	%	2025	2026	%	2025	2026	%
N.L.		193	179	-7	140	283	102	333	462	39
P.E.I.		99	86	-13	417	555	33	516	641	24
N.S.		480	455	-5	2,752	2,156	-22	3,232	2,611	-19
N.B.		203	213	5	1,216	1,210	0	1,419	1,423	0
Atlantic		975	933	-4	4,525	4,204	-7	5,500	5,137	-7
Que.		1,574	1,882	20	19,423	20,243	4	20,997	22,125	5
Ont.		3,258	3,105	-5	18,880	22,979	22	22,138	26,084	18
Man.		870	849	-2	1,684	2,340	39	2,554	3,189	25
Sask.		634	646	2	1,766	1,397	-21	2,400	2,043	-15
Alta.		6,363	5,111	-20	16,175	12,672	-22	22,538	17,783	-21
Prairies		7,867	6,606	-16	19,625	16,409	-16	27,492	23,015	-16
B.C.		1,467	1,432	-2	13,525	15,851	17	14,992	17,283	15
Canada		15,141	13,958	-8	75,978	79,686	5	91,119	93,644	3
Metropolitan Areas
Abbotsford-Mission		58	50	-14	902	680	-25	960	730	-24
Barrie		45	48	7	121	184	52	166	232	40
Belleville - Quinte West		43	34	-21	165	5	-97	208	39	-81
Brantford		104	113	9	933	568	-39	1,037	681	-34
Calgary		2,969	2,299	-23	9,443	6,682	-29	12,412	8,981	-28
Chilliwack		54	47	-13	241	348	44	295	395	34
Drummondville		91	93	2	337	490	45	428	583	36
Edmonton		2,798	2,196	-22	5,381	4,852	-10	8,179	7,048	-14
Fredericton		46	44	-4	234	199	-15	280	243	-13
Greater/Grand Sudbury		15	23	53	74	48	-35	89	71	-20
Guelph		8	3	-63	25	52	108	33	55	67
Halifax		266	232	-13	2,555	1,626	-36	2,821	1,858	-34
Hamilton		74	63	-15	691	670	-3	765	733	-4
Kamloops		46	52	13	110	844	##	156	896	##
Kelowna		105	67	-36	1,047	869	-17	1,152	936	-19
Kingston		62	53	-15	218	223	2	280	276	-1
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo		116	128	10	1,055	2,284	116	1,171	2,412	106
Lethbridge		124	83	-33	180	199	11	304	282	-7
London		169	151	-11	251	1,945	##	420	2,096	##
Moncton		66	62	-6	809	854	6	875	916	5
Montréal		468	465	-1	9,495	9,937	5	9,963	10,402	4
Nanaimo		33	50	52	123	298	142	156	348	123
Oshawa		105	95	-10	146	64	-56	251	159	-37
Ottawa-Gatineau		635	732	15	4,604	4,569	-1	5,239	5,301	1
Gatineau		97	145	49	1,015	1,428	41	1,112	1,573	41
Ottawa		538	587	9	3,589	3,141	-12	4,127	3,728	-10
Peterborough		22	18	-18	3	11	##	25	29	16
Québec		286	310	8	3,924	3,395	-13	4,210	3,705	-12
Red Deer		48	42	-13	197	163	-17	245	205	-16
Regina		131	143	9	721	517	-28	852	660	-23
Saguenay		84	80	-5	201	411	104	285	491	72
St. Catharines-Niagara		160	193	21	468	868	85	628	1,061	69
Saint John		54	71	31	77	53	-31	131	124	-5
St. John's		183	154	-16	135	243	80	318	397	25
Saskatoon		471	489	4	968	866	-11	1,439	1,355	-6
Sherbrooke		91	99	9	435	900	107	526	999	90
Thunder Bay		14	12	-14	31	183	##	45	195	##
Toronto		1,105	774	-30	9,769	10,319	6	10,874	11,093	2
Trois-Rivières		71	46	-35	539	363	-33	610	409	-33
Vancouver		754	758	1	8,938	9,755	9	9,692	10,513	8
Victoria		83	98	18	1,296	1,691	30	1,379	1,789	30
Windsor		108	95	-12	139	263	89	247	358	45
Winnipeg		794	770	-3	1,481	2,074	40	2,275	2,844	25
Total		12,959	11,335	-13	68,462	70,565	3	81,421	81,900	1
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
	May 2025	May 2026	%	May 2025	May 2026	%	May 2025	May 2026	%
Provinces (10,000+)
N.-L.	67	66	-1	33	26	-21	100	92	-8
P.E.I.	31	41	32	20	144	##	51	185	##
N.S.	130	125	-4	579	824	42	709	949	34
N.B.	88	94	7	474	359	-24	562	453	-19
Atlantic	316	326	3	1,106	1,353	22	1,422	1,679	18
Qc	445	558	25	6,127	5,417	-12	6,572	5,975	-9
Ont.	874	880	1	4,992	4,781	-4	5,866	5,661	-3
Man.	186	206	11	511	514	1	697	720	3
Sask.	182	211	16	288	496	72	470	707	50
Alta.	1,496	1,336	-11	4,278	3,585	-16	5,774	4,921	-15
Prairies	1,864	1,753	-6	5,077	4,595	-9	6,941	6,348	-9
B.C.	352	346	-2	2,726	2,624	-4	3,078	2,970	-4
Canada (10,000+)	3,851	3,863	0	20,028	18,770	-6	23,879	22,633	-5
Metropolitan Areas
Abbotsford-Mission	18	13	-28	45	454	##	63	467	##
Barrie	24	4	-83	23	136	##	47	140	198
Belleville - Quinte West	11	14	27	0	1	##	11	15	36
Brantford	16	12	-25	353	169	-52	369	181	-51
Calgary	641	541	-16	2,398	2,178	-9	3,039	2,719	-11
Chilliwack	16	12	-25	4	7	75	20	19	-5
Drummondville	19	29	53	83	86	4	102	115	13
Edmonton	706	648	-8	1,517	1,294	-15	2,223	1,942	-13
Fredericton	21	21	-	109	105	-4	130	126	-3
Greater/Grand Sudbury	7	10	43	69	6	-91	76	16	-79
Guelph	1	0	-100	18	6	-67	19	6	-68
Halifax	56	66	18	488	693	42	544	759	40
Hamilton	19	8	-58	66	0	-100	85	8	-91
Kamloops	5	6	20	4	50	##	9	56	##
Kelowna	33	23	-30	379	221	-42	412	244	-41
Kingston	15	6	-60	2	211	##	17	217	##
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo	20	23	15	37	246	##	57	269	##
Lethbridge	42	18	-57	38	2	-95	80	20	-75
London	27	44	63	26	87	##	53	131	147
Moncton	36	27	-25	262	201	-23	298	228	-23
Montréal	121	164	36	2,556	3,003	17	2,677	3,167	18
Nanaimo	4	7	75	18	16	-11	22	23	5
Oshawa	41	27	-34	44	13	-70	85	40	-53
Ottawa-Gatineau	113	263	133	933	816	-13	1,046	1,079	3
Gatineau	30	59	97	389	366	-6	419	425	1
Ottawa	83	204	146	544	450	-17	627	654	4
Peterborough	4	5	25	0	0	-	4	5	25
Québec	93	95	2	1,952	946	-52	2,045	1,041	-49
Red Deer	8	16	100	180	17	-91	188	33	-82
Regina	32	29	-9	28	60	114	60	89	48
Saguenay	26	15	-42	50	36	-28	76	51	-33
St. Catharines-Niagara	60	29	-52	78	139	78	138	168	22
Saint John	20	33	65	50	25	-50	70	58	-17
St. John's	62	60	-3	30	25	-17	92	85	-8
Saskatoon	145	175	21	249	432	73	394	607	54
Sherbrooke	21	43	105	55	103	87	76	146	92
Thunder Bay	9	5	-44	11	82	##	20	87	##
Toronto	310	241	-22	3,202	2,883	-10	3,512	3,124	-11
Trois-Rivières	21	16	-24	313	98	-69	334	114	-66
Vancouver	180	190	6	1,593	1,459	-8	1,773	1,649	-7
Victoria	14	20	43	362	213	-41	376	233	-38
Windsor	33	40	21	31	46	48	64	86	34
Winnipeg	174	187	7	499	481	-4	673	668	-1
Total	3,224	3,185	-1	18,155	17,046	-6	21,379	20,231	-5

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]