Canada’s Homebuilding Pace Falls Further

Canada’s six-mo housing-start trend recently slipped ↓~1% to 244K units nationwide, while actual starts in larger centres eased ↓~2% to 17.7K overall.
Current yr-to-date starts reached 149.5K units, down ~4% from the same period in 2025, showing construction still lagged policymakers’ push for faster building.
An economist at the national housing agency said starts were elevated versus recent years, but expected the downward trend to continue in the coming months.
Industry voices said homebuilders faced added pressure from geopolitical turmoil and the US-Canada trade conflict, especially as tariffs raised costs for construction materials.
The national housing agency projected new-home construction would keep declining through 2028, with condos especially weak amid high developer costs, soft demand, and surplus inventory.