New information from Canada Home mortgage and Housing Corporation reveals housing building and construction continued to lose momentum in March 2026, even as year-over-year comparisons painted a rosier picture.The six-month trend in housing starts fell 2.9% to 248,378 units, while the overall monthly seasonally changed annual rate dropped 6%to 235,852 systems– below 250,961 in February. Actual real estate starts in centres with a population of 10,000 or greater were up 10%year-over-year, with 16,398 systems recorded compared to 14,935 in March 2025. Year-to-date starts sit at 49,206 units, up 9%from the very same duration in 2015, led by British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.Among Canada’s three biggest cities, Toronto posted a 23%year-over-year boost driven by multi-unit starts, Vancouver was up 21%on the strength of both multi-unit and single-detached activity, and Montreal climbed up 26%on greater multi-unit starts. CMHC Mathieu Laberge, CMHC Chief Economist and Senior Citizen VP, Real estate Insights, warned
versus checking out too much into the year-over-year gains.”March real estate begins data indicate a continued loss of momentum in housing building and construction, broadly in line with CMHC’s real estate market outlook. While real starts increased compared to a year ago, this mostly reflects the incredibly low level of building and construction activity in the very first quarter of last year,”he said.Laberge likewise flagged the inherent restrictions of month-to-month starts data, noting it can be volatile and difficult to fix up with conditions on the ground. CMHC is responding with brand-new analysis this month examining the relationship in between structure licenses and real estate starts– 2 procedures that together offer a fuller image of where property building and construction is headed. Structure authorizations, CMHC notes, signal where starts activity is going; begins verify what’s really underway.Also brand-new this quarter: CMHC has begun reporting non-market real estate starts by desired market and dwelling type, covering 18 Census Metropolitan Areas throughout Canada.
The information– which tracks residences developed or operated by public, non-profit, co-operative, or other community-based organizations– will be released on a quarterly basis.