Housing starts for March 2025

OTTAWA, ON, April 15, 2025 /CNW/ - The six-month trend in housing starts decreased 0.7% in March to 235,316 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.

The total monthly SAAR of housing starts for all areas in Canada decreased 3.3% in March (214,155 units) compared to February (221,405 units).

Housing Starts in Canada - All Areas (CNW Group/Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC))

Actual housing starts were down 12.5% year-over-year in centres with a population of 10,000 or greater, with 14,924 units recorded in March, compared to 17,052 in March 2024.

Key Facts:

• The monthly SAAR for Canada's centres with a population of 10,000 or greater decreased 2.8% in March (203,285 units) compared to February (209,093 units).
• The rural starts monthly SAAR estimate was 10,870 units.
• Among Canada's big 3 cities, Montreal posted a 138% year-over-year increase in actual housing starts in March, with increases in multi-unit starts. Vancouver recorded a 59% decrease and starts in Toronto fell 65% from March 2024, driven lower by decreases in multi-unit starts in Vancouver and both multi-unit and single-detached starts in Toronto.
• 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 April housing starts data on May 15 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 our 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 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.

CMHC plays a critical role as a national convenor to promote stability and sustainability in Canada's housing finance system. Our mortgage insurance products support access to home ownership and the creation and maintenance of rental supply. We actively support the Government of Canada in delivering on its commitment to make housing more affordable. Our research and data help inform housing policy. By facilitating cooperation between all levels of government, private and non-profit sectors, we contribute to advancing housing affordability, equity, and climate compatibility. 

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Related Links:

• Housing starts for February 2025
• 2025 Housing Market Outlook
• 2024 Rental Market Report
• Solving the housing crisis is a marathon not a sprint
• High housing costs making it harder to move for jobs many are seeking
• Canada's potential capacity for housing construction

Information on this release:
As a federal Crown Corporation, CMHC respects the Caretaker Convention regarding federal elections. As a result, we will not be conducting interviews or providing comments during this period. If you have technical questions about our data, we will do our best to respond, in writing.

Table 2
Housing Start Data in Centres 10,000 Population and Over
January - March 2024 - 2025
Area		Single-Detached			All Others			Total
Province
		2024	2025	%	2024	2025	%	2024	2025	%
N.L.		65	72	11	39	51	31	104	123	18
P.E.I.		22	42	91	306	247	-19	328	289	-12
N.S.		272	221	-19	1,697	1,283	-24	1,969	1,504	-24
N.B.		69	79	14	536	594	11	605	673	11
Atlantic		428	414	-3	2,578	2,175	-16	3,006	2,589	-14
Que.		731	702	-4	6,026	9,435	57	6,757	10,137	50
Ont.		2,182	1,586	-27	15,478	9,352	-40	17,660	10,938	-38
Man.		352	459	30	645	903	40	997	1,362	37
Sask.		187	305	63	472	990	110	659	1,295	97
Alta.		2,804	3,279	17	6,940	8,191	18	9,744	11,470	18
Prairies		3,343	4,043	21	8,057	10,084	25	11,400	14,127	24
B.C.		835	759	-9	9,910	6,752	-32	10,745	7,511	-30
Canada		7,519	7,504	0	42,049	37,798	-10	49,568	45,302	-9
Metropolitan Areas
Abbotsford-Mission		29	27	-7	278	655	136	307	682	122
Barrie		83	16	-81	20	64	220	103	80	-22
Belleville - Quinte West		36	21	-42	71	165	132	107	186	74
Brantford		44	49	11	8	311	##	52	360	##
Calgary		1,479	1,507	2	3,906	4,764	22	5,385	6,271	16
Chilliwack		30	27	-10	134	116	-13	164	143	-13
Drummondville		27	46	70	70	197	181	97	243	151
Edmonton		1,046	1,488	42	2,441	2,607	7	3,487	4,095	17
Fredericton		22	20	-9	7	125	##	29	145	400
Greater/Grand Sudbury		28	5	-82	2	5	150	30	10	-67
Guelph		8	4	-50	102	1	-99	110	5	-95
Halifax		141	154	9	1,571	1,207	-23	1,712	1,361	-21
Hamilton		97	41	-58	412	446	8	509	487	-4
Kamloops		24	33	38	12	102	##	36	135	275
Kelowna		55	50	-9	796	491	-38	851	541	-36
Kingston		35	29	-17	27	183	##	62	212	242
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo		87	70	-20	390	789	102	477	859	80
Lethbridge		40	62	55	98	122	24	138	184	33
London		89	101	13	854	195	-77	943	296	-69
Moncton		10	15	50	277	421	52	287	436	52
Montréal		184	213	16	2,631	5,114	94	2,815	5,327	89
Nanaimo		38	20	-47	182	87	-52	220	107	-51
Oshawa		58	21	-64	450	67	-85	508	88	-83
Ottawa-Gatineau		268	352	31	1,427	2,257	58	1,695	2,609	54
Gatineau		61	43	-30	438	503	15	499	546	9
Ottawa		207	309	49	989	1,754	77	1,196	2,063	72
Peterborough		21	17	-19	0	3	##	21	20	-5
Québec		83	126	52	1,338	1,351	1	1,421	1,477	4
Red Deer		12	29	142	174	17	-90	186	46	-75
Regina		34	80	135	246	431	75	280	511	83
Saguenay		55	29	-47	69	138	100	124	167	35
St. Catharines-Niagara		161	77	-52	205	334	63	366	411	12
Saint John		24	23	-4	208	26	-88	232	49	-79
St. John's		53	71	34	39	51	31	92	122	33
Saskatoon		138	203	47	222	504	127	360	707	96
Sherbrooke		53	37	-30	219	218	0	272	255	-6
Thunder Bay		2	3	50	30	20	-33	32	23	-28
Toronto		870	546	-37	11,278	4,526	-60	12,148	5,072	-58
Trois-Rivières		14	30	114	249	159	-36	263	189	-28
Vancouver		380	403	6	7,247	4,431	-39	7,627	4,834	-37
Victoria		72	49	-32	844	563	-33	916	612	-33
Windsor		43	50	16	222	73	-67	265	123	-54
Winnipeg		313	406	30	600	783	31	913	1,189	30
Total		6,286	6,550	4	39,356	34,119	-13	45,642	40,669	-11
1Data 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

Housing Start Data in Centres 10,000 Population and Over
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	March 2024	March 2025	%	March 2024	March 2025	%	March 2024	March 2025	%
Provinces (10,000+)
N.-L.	8	21	##	1	10	##	9	31	##
P.E.I.	1	12	##	54	7	-87	55	19	-65
N.S.	88	88	-	482	364	-24	570	452	-21
N.B.	17	26	53	34	280	##	51	306	##
Atlantic	114	147	29	571	661	16	685	808	18
Qc	293	281	-4	1,959	3,278	67	2,252	3,559	58
Ont.	916	514	-44	4,606	2,448	-47	5,522	2,962	-46
Man.	117	151	29	247	481	95	364	632	74
Sask.	76	145	91	164	481	193	240	626	##
Alta.	1,000	1,180	18	2,122	2,778	31	3,122	3,958	27
Prairies	1,193	1,476	24	2,533	3,740	48	3,726	5,216	40
B.C.	266	269	1	4,601	2,110	-54	4,867	2,379	-51
Canada (10,000+)	2,782	2,687	-3	14,270	12,237	-14	17,052	14,924	-12
Metropolitan Areas
Abbotsford-Mission	8	13	63	144	223	55	152	236	55
Barrie	43	1	-98	4	13	225	47	14	-70
Belleville - Quinte West	13	5	-62	1	0	###	14	5	-64
Brantford	20	35	75	0	69	##	20	104	##
Calgary	532	455	-14	1,228	1,780	45	1,760	2,235	27
Chilliwack	7	9	29	125	70	-44	132	79	-40
Drummondville	20	30	50	32	112	250	52	142	##
Edmonton	370	620	68	792	786	-1	1,162	1,406	21
Fredericton	6	1	-83	0	123	##	6	124	##
Greater/Grand Sudbury	0	3	##	0	5	##	0	8	##
Guelph	4	3	-25	6	0	###	10	3	-70
Halifax	50	63	26	445	346	-22	495	409	-17
Hamilton	35	14	-60	17	19	12	52	33	-37
Kamloops	13	7	-46	2	10	400	15	17	13
Kelowna	16	22	38	379	46	-88	395	68	-83
Kingston	6	10	67	9	0	###	15	10	-33
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo	53	41	-23	75	329	339	128	370	##
Lethbridge	9	21	##	2	19	##	11	40	##
London	42	46	10	507	107	-79	549	153	-72
Moncton	2	4	##	14	149	##	16	153	##
Montréal	72	60	-17	738	1,870	153	810	1,930	##
Nanaimo	2	12	##	1	8	##	3	20	##
Oshawa	24	6	-75	78	63	-19	102	69	-32
Ottawa-Gatineau	113	106	-6	594	620	4	707	726	3
Gatineau	15	13	-13	149	102	-32	164	115	-30
Ottawa	98	93	-5	445	518	16	543	611	13
Peterborough	13	2	-85	0	2	##	13	4	-69
Québec	29	57	97	520	370	-29	549	427	-22
Red Deer	6	6	-	2	3	50	8	9	13
Regina	19	41	##	74	33	-55	93	74	-20
Saguenay	23	13	-43	29	30	3	52	43	-17
St. Catharines-Niagara	43	33	-23	80	62	-23	123	95	-23
Saint John	6	15	##	0	0	-	6	15	##
St. John's	4	21	##	1	10	##	5	31	##
Saskatoon	51	95	86	88	424	382	139	519	##
Sherbrooke	18	17	-6	134	96	-28	152	113	-26
Thunder Bay	1	0	##	24	6	-75	25	6	-76
Toronto	352	160	-55	3,142	1,065	-66	3,494	1,225	-65
Trois-Rivières	3	16	##	31	96	210	34	112	##
Vancouver	117	135	15	3,339	1,288	-61	3,456	1,423	-59
Victoria	30	22	-27	429	344	-20	459	366	-20
Windsor	22	19	-14	22	9	-59	44	28	-36
Winnipeg	103	136	32	234	455	94	337	591	75
Total	2,300	2,375	3	13,342	11,060	-17	15,642	13,435	-14
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

Housing Start Data - Seasonally Adjusted at Annual Rates (SAAR)
	Single-Detached			All Others			Total
	February 2025	March 2025	%	February 2025	March 2025	%	February 2025	March 2025	%
Provinces (10,000+)
N.L.	625	702	12	431	244	-43	1,056	946	-10
P.E.I.	554	490	-12	552	84	-85	1,106	574	-48
N.S.	957	1,698	77	5,244	4,613	-12	6,201	6,311	2
N.B.	853	1,328	56	3,252	3,444	6	4,105	4,772	16
Qc	4,759	4,643	-2	42,523	50,553	19	47,282	55,196	17
Ont.	9,268	7,745	-16	47,297	30,901	-35	56,565	38,646	-32
Man.	2,292	2,277	-1	1,908	5,772	203	4,200	8,049	92
Sask.	1,936	2,125	10	4,308	5,772	34	6,244	7,897	26
Alta.	17,727	18,138	2	37,059	33,588	-9	54,786	51,726	-6
B.C.	3,747	3,866	3	23,801	25,302	6	27,548	29,168	6
Canada (10,000+)	42,718	43,012	1	166,375	160,273	-4	209,093	203,285	-3
Canada (All Areas)	49,637	49,667	0	171,768	164,484	-4	221,405	214,155	-3
Metropolitan Areas
Abbotsford-Mission	71	177	##	1,824	2,676	47	1,895	2,853	51
Barrie	308	20	-94	396	156	-61	704	176	-75
Belleville - Quinte West	199	185	-7	1,980	0	###	2,179	185	-92
Brantford	96	439	##	0	828	##	96	1,267	##
Calgary	7,436	6,968	-6	22,884	21,360	-7	30,320	28,328	-7
Chilliwack	122	122	-	122	840	##	626	962	54
Drummondville	260	288	11	804	1,344	67	1,064	1,632	53
Edmonton	8,046	9,085	13	11,304	9,432	-17	19,350	18,517	-4
Fredericton	363	59	-84	0	1,476	##	363	1,535	323
Greater/Grand Sudbury	95	94	-1	0	60	##	95	154	62
Guelph	1	45	##	0	0	-	1	45	##
Halifax	786	1,103	40	4,920	4,152	-16	5,706	5,255	-8
Hamilton	243	165	-32	4,920	228	-95	5,163	393	-92
Kamloops	298	111	-63	1,008	120	-88	1,306	231	-82
Kelowna	294	301	2	1,224	552	-55	1,518	853	-44
Kingston	226	262	16	204	0	###	430	262	-39
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo	208	410	97	3,372	3,948	17	3,580	4,358	22
Lethbridge	355	603	70	0	228	##	355	831	134
London	436	703	61	792	1,284	62	1,228	1,987	62
Moncton	277	436	57	3,168	1,788	-44	3,445	2,224	-35
Montréal	1,169	1,070	-8	10,301	22,465	118	11,470	23,535	105
Nanaimo	74	112	51	948	96	-90	1,022	208	-80
Oshawa	241	88	-63	48	756	##	289	844	192
Ottawa-Gatineau	2,828	1,890	-33	11,424	7,440	-35	14,252	9,330	-35
Gatineau	240	275	15	1,092	1,224	12	1,332	1,499	13
Ottawa	2,588	1,615	-38	10,332	6,216	-40	12,920	7,831	-39
Peterborough	303	25	-92	12	24	100	315	49	-84
Québec	645	822	27	5,916	4,440	-25	6,561	5,262	-20
Red Deer	93	111	19	24	36	50	117	147	26
Regina	592	613	4	3,624	396	-89	4,216	1,009	-76
Saguenay	239	368	54	720	360	-50	959	728	-24
St. Catharines-Niagara	269	487	81	2,268	744	-67	2,537	1,231	-51
Saint John	41	620	##	0	0	-	41	620	##
St. John's	589	787	34	228	120	-47	817	907	11
Saskatoon	1,343	1,364	2	468	5,088	##	1,811	6,452	256
Sherbrooke	247	296	20	828	1,152	39	1,075	1,448	35
Thunder Bay	80	88	10	0	72	##	80	160	100
Toronto	2,687	2,058	-23	15,744	12,780	-19	18,431	14,838	-19
Trois-Rivières	188	485	##	276	1,152	317	464	1,637	253
Vancouver	1,888	2,107	12	15,324	15,456	1	17,212	17,563	2
Victoria	164	276	68	1,548	4,128	167	1,712	4,404	157
Windsor	399	351	-12	396	108	-73	795	459	-42
Winnipeg	1,911	1,967	3	1,104	5,460	395	3,015	7,427	146
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)

Media Relations, CMHC, [email protected]