The trend in housing starts was higher in September at 254,006 units, up 3.9% from 244,511 units in August, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The trend measure is a six-month moving average of the monthly SAAR of total housing starts for all areas in Canada.
The monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of total housing starts for all areas in Canada increased 8% in September (270,466 units) compared to August (250,383 units).
The monthly SAAR of total urban (centres 10,000 population and over) housing starts increased 9%, with 250,766 units recorded in September. Multi-unit urban starts increased 10% to 207,689 units, while single-detached urban starts increased 3% to 43,077 units in September.
Total SAAR housing starts were up 98% in Montreal and 20% in Toronto in September, while Vancouver recorded a decrease of 17%, driven by declines in both single-detached (-12%) and multi-unit (-18%).
The rural starts monthly SAAR estimate was 19,700 units.
Quote:
Both the SAAR and trend in housing starts were higher in September. Multi-unit starts activity has persisted and maintained similar levels to 2022 despite the higher interest rate environment. This has helped offset double-digit declines in single-detached starts in all provinces. In fact, September was the second highest month this year for multi-unit starts. It seems the current higher interest rate environment has not yet had the expected negative impact on multi-unit construction activity so far in 2023 ,” said Bob Dugan, CMHC’s Chief Economist.
Key facts:
- Actual 2023 year-to-date housing starts were 22% and 37% higher than the same period in 2022 in Toronto and Vancouver, respectively.
- Nationally, year-over-year starts for September were down 8% in centres of 10,000 population and over, driven primarily by significantly lower single-detached starts.
- 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 November 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.
- 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.
For more information, follow us on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
Related links:
- Spring 2023 Housing Market Outlook (PDF)
- Latest Housing Supply Report (HSR)
- Housing Supply Report (HSR) — Fall Edition
- The road ahead for the economy and housing — fall 2022 update
- Canada’s housing supply shortage: skilled labour capacity
- Understanding Canada’s housing supply shortages
For information on this release:
To request an interview with a CMHC market analyst, contact:
Media Relations, CMHC
media@cmhc-schl.gc.ca
| Single-Detached | All Others | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2022 | September 2023 | % | September 2022 | September 2023 | % | September 2022 | September 2023 | % | |
| N.-L. | 46 | 61 | 33 | 8 | 27 | 238 | 54 | 88 | 63 |
| P.E.I. | 1 | 8 | ## | 0 | 10 | ## | 1 | 18 | ## |
| N.S. | 281 | 191 | -32 | 104 | 537 | 416 | 385 | 728 | 89 |
| N.B. | 133 | 91 | -32 | 310 | 429 | 38 | 443 | 520 | 17 |
| Atlantic | 461 | 351 | -24 | 422 | 1,003 | 138 | 883 | 1,354 | 53 |
| Qc | 537 | 440 | -18 | 3,156 | 3,947 | 25 | 3.693 | 4,387 | 19 |
| Ont. | 2,068 | 1,294 | -37 | 9,168 | 7,266 | -21 | 11,236 | 8,560 | -24 |
| Man. | 227 | 137 | -40 | 138 | 222 | 61 | 365 | 359 | -2 |
| Sask. | 104 | 142 | 37 | 119 | 114 | -4 | 223 | 256 | 15 |
| Alta. | 1,461 | 1,185 | -19 | 1,962 | 2,923 | 49 | 3,423 | 4,108 | 20 |
| Prairies | 1,792 | 1,464 | -18 | 2,219 | 3,259 | 47 | 4,011 | 4,723 | 18 |
| B.C. | 747 | 522 | -30 | 3,527 | 2,638 | -25 | 4,274 | 3.160 | -26 |
| Canada (10,000+) | 5,605 | 4,071 | -27 | 18,492 | 18,113 | -2 | 24,097 | 22,184 | -8 |
Data for 2022 based on 2016 Census Definitions and data for 2023 based on 2021 Census Definitions.
Source: CMHC
## not calculable / extreme value
| Single-Detached | All Others | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2022 | September 2023 | % | September 2022 | September 2023 | % | September 2022 | September 2023 | % | |
| Abbotsford – Mission | 43 | 24 | -44 | 125 | 12 | -90 | 168 | 36 | -79 |
| Barrie | 152 | 40 | -74 | 395 | 123 | -69 | 547 | 163 | -70 |
| Belleville – Quinte West | 27 | 16 | -41 | 17 | 0 | -100 | 44 | 16 | -64 |
| Brantford | 51 | 6 | -88 | 46 | 27 | -41 | 97 | 33 | -66 |
| Calgary | 590 | 554 | -6 | 1,089 | 2,180 | 100 | 1,679 | 2,734 | 63 |
| Chilliwack | 24 | 27 | 13 | 220 | 10 | -95 | 244 | 37 | -85 |
| Drummondville | 30 | 8 | -73 | 58 | 42 | -28 | 88 | 50 | -43 |
| Edmonton | 678 | 464 | -32 | 782 | 620 | -21 | 1,460 | 1,084 | -26 |
| Fredericton | 48 | 28 | -42 | 77 | 283 | 268 | 125 | 311 | 149 |
| Greater / Grand Sudbury | 10 | 0 | -100 | 18 | 5 | -72 | 28 | 5 | -82 |
| Guelph | 6 | 8 | 33 | 123 | 116 | -6 | 129 | 124 | -4 |
| Halifax | 80 | 78 | -3 | 22 | 508 | ## | 102 | 586 | 475 |
| Hamilton | 100 | 36 | -64 | 89 | 167 | 88 | 189 | 203 | 7 |
| Kamloops | 10 | 47 | 370 | 5 | 78 | ## | 15 | 125 | ## |
| Kelowna | 44 | 17 | -61 | 208 | 151 | -27 | 252 | 168 | -33 |
| Kingston | 61 | 38 | -38 | 22 | 44 | 100 | 83 | 82 | -1 |
| Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo | 86 | 38 | -56 | 213 | 498 | 134 | 299 | 536 | 79 |
| Lethbridge | 19 | 24 | 26 | 3 | 8 | 167 | 22 | 32 | 45 |
| London | 61 | 52 | -15 | 245 | 127 | -48 | 306 | 179 | -42 |
| Moncton | 35 | 24 | -31 | 214 | 135 | -37 | 249 | 159 | -36 |
| Montréal | 152 | 99 | -35 | 1,962 | 2,583 | 32 | 2,114 | 2,682 | 27 |
| Nanaimo | 21 | 11 | -48 | 132 | 6 | -95 | 153 | 17 | -89 |
| Oshawa | 87 | 86 | -1 | 221 | 10 | -95 | 308 | 96 | -69 |
| Ottawa – Gatineau | 287 | 193 | -33 | 1,728 | 1,306 | -24 | 2,015 | 1,499 | -26 |
| Gatineau | 33 | 48 | 45 | 124 | 219 | 77 | 157 | 267 | 70 |
| Ottawa | 254 | 145 | -43 | 1,604 | 1,087 | -32 | 1,858 | 1,232 | -34 |
| Peterborough | 50 | 11 | -78 | 6 | 0 | -100 | 56 | 11 | -80 |
| Québec | 55 | 68 | 24 | 414 | 568 | 37 | 469 | 636 | 36 |
| Red Deer | 10 | 13 | 30 | 1 | 10 | ## | 11 | 23 | 109 |
| Regina | 21 | 32 | 52 | 59 | 34 | -42 | 80 | 66 | -18 |
| Saguenay | 18 | 18 | – | 24 | 15 | -38 | 42 | 33 | -21 |
| St. Catharines – Niagara | 95 | 73 | -23 | 697 | 308 | -56 | 792 | 381 | -52 |
| Saint John | 28 | 24 | -14 | 0 | 5 | ## | 28 | 29 | 4 |
| St. John’s | 34 | 42 | 24 | 4 | 20 | 400 | 38 | 62 | 63 |
| Saskatoon | 77 | 105 | 36 | 45 | 20 | -56 | 122 | 125 | 2 |
| Sherbrooke | 30 | 25 | -17 | 125 | 84 | -33 | 155 | 109 | -30 |
| Thunder Bay | 17 | 30 | 76 | 8 | 30 | 275 | 25 | 60 | 140 |
| Toronto | 499 | 406 | -19 | 4,931 | 4,469 | -9 | 5,430 | 4,875 | -10 |
| Trois-Rivières | 15 | 16 | 7 | 62 | 85 | 37 | 77 | 101 | 31 |
| Vancouver | 419 | 251 | -40 | 2,293 | 1,922 | -16 | 2,712 | 2,173 | -20 |
| Victoria | 53 | 41 | -23 | 217 | 175 | -19 | 270 | 216 | -20 |
| Windsor | 68 | 35 | -43 | 122 | 11 | -91 | 183 | 46 | -75 |
| Winnipeg | 61 | 108 | -43 | 95 | 159 | 67 | 283 | 267 | -6 |
| Total | 4,372 | 3,216 | -26 | 17,117 | 16,954 | -1 | 21,489 | 20,170 | -6 |
Data for 2022 based on 2016 Census Definitions and data for 2023 based on 2021 Census Definitions.
Source: CMHC
## not calculable / extreme value
| Single-Detached | All Others | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | September 2023 | % | August 2023 | September 2023 | % | August 2023 | September 2023 | % | |
| N.L. | 499 | 608 | 22 | 300 | 271 | -10 | 799 | 879 | 10 |
| P.E.I. | 235 | 95 | -60 | 612 | 120 | -80 | 847 | 215 | -75 |
| N.S. | 1,035 | 1,183 | 14 | 1,396 | 6,241 | 347 | 2,431 | 7,424 | 205 |
| N.B. | 984 | 778 | -21 | 5,548 | 5,203 | -6 | 6,532 | 5,981 | -8 |
| Qc | 4,736 | 4,484 | -5 | 38,337 | 40.501 | 6 | 43,073 | 44,985 | 4 |
| Ont. | 13,006 | 14,164 | 9 | 66,586 | 84,637 | 27 | 79,592 | 98,801 | 24 |
| Man. | 1,522 | 1,532 | 1 | 4,596 | 2,664 | -42 | 6,118 | 4,196 | -31 |
| Sask. | 1,167 | 1,571 | 35 | 4,524 | 1,368 | -70 | 5,691 | 2,939 | -48 |
| Alta. | 12,260 | 13,041 | 6 | 27,465 | 35,275 | 28 | 39,725 | 48,316 | 22 |
| B.C. | 6,255 | 5,621 | -10 | 39,516 | 31,409 | -21 | 45,771 | 37,030 | -19 |
| Canada (10,000+) | 41,699 | 43,077 | 3 | 188,880 | 207,689 | 10 | 230,579 | 250,766 | 9 |
| Canada (All Areas) | 55,592 | 56,880 | 2 | 194,790 | 213,585 | 10 | 250,383 | 270,466 | 8 |
Data for 2022 based on 2016 Census Definitions and data for 2023 based on 2021 Census Definitions.
Source: CMHC
## not calculable / extreme value
Data for 2022 based on 2016 Census Definitions and data for 2023 based on 2021 Census Definitions.
Source: CMHC
## not calculable / extreme value