The six-month trend in housing starts was higher in April, with an increase of 3.2% to 256,777 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.
Actual housing starts were down 1% year-over-year in centres with a population of 10,000 or greater, with 21,805 units recorded in April, compared to 21,938 units in April 2025. The year-to-date total was 71,011 units, up 6% from the same period in 2025, driven by higher starts in British Columbia and Ontario.The total monthly SAAR of housing starts for all areas in Canada increased 17% in April (279,317 units) compared to March (239,747 units), said the CMHC.
Kevin Hughes
“While the six‑month trend in housing starts rose slightly in April, it follows several consecutive months of decline, underscoring the uneven nature of current construction activity, and month-to-month volatility,” said Kevin Hughes, Deputy Chief Economist at CMHC.
April’s starts bounce-back was larger than expected and suggests some upside risk to our view on residential investment’s contribution to GDP to begin Q2. However, some recent easing in building permits signals some near-term cooling for starts, said Rishi Sondhi, Economist, TD Economics.
“Despite April’s uptick, housing starts are down so far this year compared to the end of 2025, on a six-month moving average basis. We think this trend will continue for the remainder of this year amid weak population growth, elevated unsold inventories, and past weakness in pre-sales in key markets. Activity next year could see some support from recent government actions to cut taxes on new homes. ”
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, 2025 and 2026.
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