Canada’s homebuilding sector posted a significant boost in April as the pace of housing starts jumped across the country, according to the latest data released by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
The six-month trend in housing starts climbed 2.4% in April to 240,905 units. This trend measure is based on a six-month moving average of the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of total housing starts for all areas across Canada.
“The increased starts activity in April was driven by increases across all housing types in Québec and the Prairie provinces, while starts in Ontario and British Columbia declined on a year-over-year basis again this month,” said Kevin Hughes, CMHC’s Deputy Chief Economist.
Kevin Hughes
The total monthly SAAR of housing starts surged 30% in April to 278,606 units, compared to 214,205 units in March. This strong performance was also evident in urban centres—those with populations of 10,000 or more—where the monthly SAAR rose 28% to 259,788 units, up from 202,668 the previous month. Rural housing starts were estimated at a SAAR of 18,818 units.
Year-over-year, actual housing starts in urban centres increased 17% to 21,720 units in April, up from 18,539 in the same month last year. This marks the highest actual housing starts recorded for any April on record. However, on a year-to-date basis, starts edged down 2%, with 67,022 units so far in 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
In Canada’s largest cities, the picture varied sharply. Montreal saw a 64% spike in actual housing starts year-over-year, largely driven by an uptick in multi-unit construction. Vancouver also saw a 6% gain for the month, attributed to the same segment. On the flip side, Toronto experienced a 25% decline, dragged down by a decrease in multi-unit starts.
“The current economic uncertainty will have consequences for the supply and demand of new housing. CMHC will be monitoring these effects closely over the coming months,” added Hughes.
CMHC emphasizes that the trend measure is used to provide a more stable view of housing starts activity, mitigating the volatility often seen in the monthly SAAR figures, which are heavily influenced by the multi-unit segment.
Mario Toneguzzi
Mario Toneguzzi is Managing Editor of Canada’s Entrepreneur. He has more than 40 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He was named in 2021 and 2024 as one of the top business journalists in the world by PR News. He was also named by RETHINK to its global list of Top Retail Experts 2024 and 2025.
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