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).
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)