Canada Housing Starts

Last Release

Nov 30, 2024

Actual

262.4

Units In

Thousand units

242.2

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Jan 16, 2025

Time to Release

29 Days 13 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
333.28 Mar 2021	90.7 Aug 1982	192.7 Thousand units	1977-2024	Canada Mortgage And Housing Corporation

In Canada, a housing start is defined as the beginning of construction work on the building where the dwelling unit will be located. This can be described in 2 ways: usually, the stage when the concrete has been poured for the whole of the footing around the structure; or an equivalent stage where a basement will not be part of the structure.

Latest Updates

Housing starts in Canada rose by 8.4% month-over-month to 262,400 units in November 2024, the highest level in four months and above market expectations of 248,200 units, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of total urban housing starts increased by 9.2% to 245,083 units, driven by a 10.7% rise in multi-unit urban starts to 195,281 units and a 3.8% increase in single-detached urban starts to 49,802 units. The SAAR estimate for rural starts stood at 17,360 units. Year-to-date housing starts from January to November 2024 are up 22% in Montréal compared to 2023, reflecting a recovery from historically low levels last year. In contrast, Vancouver and Toronto remain below 2023’s historically high levels, with declines of 14% and 20% year-to-date, respectively.