The trend in housing starts was 226,777 units in December 2017, compared to 226,178 units in November 2017, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). This trend measure is a six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) of housing starts.
“Despite the variation in activity across the country, the national trend in housing starts held steady at its highest level since 2008,” said Bob Dugan, CMHC’s chief economist. “Total urban housing starts in 2017 were up 6.2% compared to 2016 due to the rise in apartment construction.”
Stats for Toronto
Overall, the pace of new home construction in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) remained virtually unchanged in 2017. Close to 39,000 homes broke ground this year, down 0.7% from 2016. Strong demand for new homes continued to be supported by improved employment conditions and strong migration. However, affordability challenges, tighter mortgage rules, increasing price gap with resale market alternatives, and a better-supplied resale market weighed on single-detached starts, which were down by 14% compared to 2016. Given escalating house prices, more homebuyers continued to shift their demand towards relatively more affordable housing options such as townhouses, and more affordable areas such as Brampton. Condominium apartment starts were down by 5% compared to 2016, nevertheless they continued to dominate new home construction thanks to strong demand from price-sensitive homebuyers and investors.
Measuring Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rates (SAAR)
CMHC uses the trend measure as a complement to the monthly SAAR of housing starts to account for considerable swings in monthly estimates and obtain a more complete picture of Canada’s housing market. In some situations analyzing only SAAR data can be misleading, as they are largely driven by the multi-unit segment of the market which can vary significantly from one month to the next.
The standalone monthly SAAR of housing starts for all areas in Canada was 216,980 units in December, down from 251,675 units in November. The SAAR of urban starts decreased by 15.1% in December to 198,132 units. Multiple urban starts decreased by 22% to 135,176 units in December. Single-detached urban starts increased by 4.7% to 62,956 units.
Rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 18,848 units.
Single-Detached | All Others | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 2016 | Dec. 2017 | % | Dec. 2016 | Dec. 2017 | % | Dec. 2016 | Dec. 2017 | % | |
Provinces (10,000+) | |||||||||
N.-L. | 70 | 77 | 10 | 18 | 56 | 211 | 88 | 133 | 51 |
P.E.I. | 7 | 22 | 214 | 6 | 17 | 183 | 13 | 39 | 200 |
N.S. | 117 | 110 | -6 | 111 | 167 | 50 | 228 | 277 | 21 |
N.B. | 47 | 60 | 28 | 52 | 103 | 98 | 99 | 163 | 65 |
Atlantic | 241 | 269 | 12 | 187 | 343 | 83 | 428 | 612 | 43 |
Qc | 536 | 542 | 1 | 2,645 | 4,101 | 55 | 3,181 | 4,643 | 46 |
Ont. | 2,638 | 2,091 | -21 | 3,789 | 2,858 | -25 | 6,427 | 4,949 | -23 |
Man. | 143 | 223 | 56 | 110 | 351 | 219 | 253 | 574 | 127 |
Sask. | 154 | 121 | -21 | 174 | 194 | 11 | 328 | 315 | -4 |
Alta. | 909 | 984 | 8 | 1,054 | 703 | -33 | 1,963 | 1,687 | -14 |
Prairies | 1,206 | 1,328 | 10 | 1,338 | 1,248 | -7 | 2,544 | 2,576 | 1 |
B.C. | 696 | 843 | 21 | 2,476 | 3,169 | 28 | 3,172 | 4,012 | 26 |
Canada (10,000+) | 5,317 | 5,073 | -5 | 10,435 | 11,719 | 12 | 15,752 | 16,792 | 7 |
Metropolitan Areas | |||||||||
Abbotsford-Mission | 39 | 26 | -33 | 27 | 13 | -52 | 66 | 39 | -41 |
Barrie | 36 | 28 | -22 | 0 | 43 | ## | 36 | 71 | 97 |
Belleville | ** | 37 | ## | ** | 67 | ## | ** | 104 | ## |
Brantford | 11 | 11 | – | 10 | 2 | -80 | 21 | 13 | -38 |
Calgary | 294 | 349 | 19 | 681 | 334 | -51 | 975 | 683 | -30 |
Edmonton | 409 | 412 | 1 | 303 | 305 | 1 | 712 | 717 | 1 |
Greater Sudbury | 14 | 6 | -57 | 23 | 4 | -83 | 37 | 10 | -73 |
Guelph | 17 | 18 | 6 | 17 | 0 | -100 | 34 | 18 | -47 |
Halifax | 64 | 90 | 41 | 92 | 166 | 80 | 156 | 256 | 64 |
Hamilton | 111 | 59 | -47 | 655 | 268 | -59 | 766 | 327 | -57 |
Kelowna | 81 | 84 | 4 | 235 | 177 | -25 | 316 | 261 | -17 |
Kingston | 20 | 55 | 175 | 26 | 17 | -35 | 46 | 72 | 57 |
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo | 120 | 57 | -53 | 669 | 138 | -79 | 789 | 195 | -75 |
Lethbridge | ** | 45 | ## | ** | 22 | ## | ** | 67 | ## |
London | 112 | 150 | 34 | 81 | 52 | -36 | 193 | 202 | 5 |
Moncton | 18 | 13 | -28 | 8 | 35 | 338 | 26 | 48 | 85 |
Montréal | 206 | 232 | 13 | 1,696 | 3,151 | 86 | 1,902 | 3,383 | 78 |
Oshawa | 39 | 117 | 200 | 81 | 18 | -78 | 120 | 135 | 13 |
Ottawa-Gatineau | 281 | 308 | 10 | 417 | 599 | 44 | 698 | 907 | 30 |
Gatineau | 67 | 48 | -28 | 105 | 48 | -54 | 172 | 96 | -44 |
Ottawa | 214 | 260 | 21 | 312 | 551 | 77 | 526 | 811 | 54 |
Peterborough | 25 | 32 | 28 | 0 | 24 | ## | 25 | 56 | 124 |
Québec | 51 | 52 | 2 | 265 | 390 | 47 | 316 | 442 | 40 |
Regina | 43 | 29 | -33 | 111 | 35 | -68 | 154 | 64 | -58 |
Saguenay | 33 | 16 | -52 | 15 | 30 | 100 | 48 | 46 | -4 |
St. Catharines-Niagara | 114 | 152 | 33 | 19 | 26 | 37 | 133 | 178 | 34 |
Saint John | 8 | 12 | 50 | 3 | 26 | ## | 11 | 38 | 245 |
St. John’s | 61 | 62 | 2 | 17 | 39 | 129 | 78 | 101 | 29 |
Saskatoon | 96 | 76 | -21 | 46 | 144 | 213 | 142 | 220 | 55 |
Sherbrooke | 18 | 32 | 78 | 77 | 52 | -32 | 95 | 84 | -12 |
Thunder Bay | 4 | 3 | -25 | 4 | 0 | -100 | 8 | 3 | -63 |
Toronto | 1,350 | 767 | -43 | 1,635 | 1,473 | -10 | 2,985 | 2,240 | -25 |
Trois-Rivières | 21 | 12 | -43 | 75 | 45 | -40 | 96 | 57 | -41 |
Vancouver | 284 | 402 | 42 | 1,870 | 2,306 | 23 | 2,154 | 2,708 | 26 |
Victoria | 67 | 70 | 4 | 79 | 134 | 70 | 146 | 204 | 40 |
Windsor | 52 | 35 | -33 | 39 | 2 | -95 | 91 | 37 | -59 |
Winnipeg | 130 | 181 | 39 | 100 | 322 | 222 | 230 | 503 | 119 |
Total | 4,229 | 4,030 | -5 | 9,376 | 10,459 | 12 | 13,605 | 14,489 | 6 |
Data for 2016 based on 2011 Census Definitions.
Data for 2017 based on 2016 Census Definitions.
Source: Market Analysis Centre, CMHC
** Belleville and Lethbridge were not metropolitan areas in 2016.
## not calculable/extreme value
Single-Detached | All Others | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nov. 2017 | Dec. 2017 | % | Nov. 2017 | Dec. 2017 | % | Nov. 2017 | Dec. 2017 | % | |
Provinces (10,000+) | |||||||||
N.L. | 574 | 772 | 34 | 783 | 678 | -13 | 1,357 | 1,450 | 7 |
P.E.I. | 270 | 410 | 52 | 660 | 204 | -69 | 930 | 614 | -34 |
N.S. | 703 | 1,043 | 48 | 2,257 | 2,036 | -10 | 2,960 | 3,079 | 4 |
N.B. | 781 | 776 | -1 | 1,259 | 1,661 | 32 | 2,040 | 2,437 | 19 |
Qc | 6,835 | 6,729 | -2 | 37,785 | 40,935 | 8 | 44,620 | 47,664 | 7 |
Ont. | 23,504 | 24,403 | 4 | 70,552 | 36,515 | -48 | 94,056 | 60,918 | -35 |
Man. | 2,538 | 3,062 | 21 | 3,888 | 4,212 | 8 | 6,426 | 7,274 | 13 |
Sask. | 1,526 | 1,653 | 8 | 2,064 | 2,328 | 13 | 3,590 | 3,981 | 11 |
Alta. | 11,466 | 12,402 | 8 | 21,095 | 8,702 | -59 | 32,561 | 21,104 | -35 |
B.C. | 11,933 | 11,706 | -2 | 32,957 | 37,905 | 15 | 44,890 | 49,611 | 11 |
Canada (10,000+) | 60,130 | 62,956 | 5 | 173,300 | 135,176 | -22 | 233,430 | 198,132 | -15 |
Canada (All Areas) | 73,999 | 77,693 | 5 | 177,675 | 139,286 | -22 | 251,675 | 216,980 | -14 |
Metropolitan Areas | |||||||||
Abbotsford-Mission | 695 | 424 | -39 | 1,344 | 156 | -88 | 2,039 | 580 | -72 |
Barrie | 956 | 525 | -45 | 876 | 516 | -41 | 1,832 | 1,041 | -43 |
Belleville | 483 | 402 | -17 | 216 | 804 | 272 | 699 | 1,206 | 73 |
Brantford | 139 | 137 | -1 | 24 | 24 | – | 163 | 161 | -1 |
Calgary | 4,197 | 4,206 | 0 | 13,368 | 4,008 | -70 | 17,565 | 8,214 | -53 |
Edmonton | 4,418 | 5,432 | 23 | 6,312 | 3,660 | -42 | 10,730 | 9,092 | -15 |
Greater Sudbury | 156 | 85 | -46 | 72 | 48 | -33 | 228 | 133 | -42 |
Guelph | 270 | 319 | 18 | 3,000 | 0 | -100 | 3,270 | 319 | -90 |
Halifax | 666 | 957 | 44 | 2,052 | 1,992 | -3 | 2,718 | 2,949 | 8 |
Hamilton | 763 | 782 | 2 | 4,392 | 3,216 | -27 | 5,155 | 3,998 | -22 |
Kelowna | 854 | 934 | 9 | 1,740 | 2,124 | 22 | 2,594 | 3,058 | 18 |
Kingston | 93 | 581 | ## | 132 | 204 | 55 | 225 | 785 | 249 |
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo | 935 | 829 | -11 | 6,840 | 1,656 | -76 | 7,775 | 2,485 | -68 |
Lethbridge | 455 | 429 | -6 | 72 | 264 | 267 | 527 | 693 | 31 |
London | 1,879 | 2,116 | 13 | 5,736 | 624 | -89 | 7,615 | 2,740 | -64 |
Moncton | 187 | 183 | -2 | 1,092 | 420 | -62 | 1,279 | 603 | -53 |
Montréal | 2,802 | 2,885 | 3 | 22,993 | 37,492 | 63 | 25,795 | 40,377 | 57 |
Oshawa | 1,502 | 1,554 | 3 | 2,256 | 216 | -90 | 3,758 | 1,770 | -53 |
Ottawa-Gatineau | 2,766 | 3,427 | 24 | 9,444 | 7,188 | -24 | 12,210 | 10,615 | -13 |
Gatineau | 500 | 667 | 33 | 396 | 576 | 45 | 896 | 1,243 | 39 |
Ottawa | 2,266 | 2,760 | 22 | 9,048 | 6,612 | -27 | 11,314 | 9,372 | -17 |
Peterborough | 197 | 371 | 88 | 0 | 288 | ## | 197 | 659 | 235 |
Québec | 729 | 688 | -6 | 11,700 | 4,680 | -60 | 12,429 | 5,368 | -57 |
Regina | 396 | 419 | 6 | 1,224 | 420 | -66 | 1,620 | 839 | -48 |
Saguenay | 244 | 229 | -6 | 492 | 360 | -27 | 736 | 589 | -20 |
St. Catharines-Niagara | 1,199 | 1,561 | 30 | 1,584 | 312 | -80 | 2,783 | 1,873 | -33 |
Saint John | 261 | 146 | -44 | 24 | 312 | ## | 285 | 458 | 61 |
St. John’s | 402 | 580 | 44 | 624 | 468 | -25 | 1,026 | 1,048 | 2 |
Saskatoon | 893 | 1,005 | 13 | 720 | 1,728 | 140 | 1,613 | 2,733 | 69 |
Sherbrooke | 260 | 391 | 50 | 1,560 | 624 | -60 | 1,820 | 1,015 | -44 |
Thunder Bay | 148 | 65 | -56 | 144 | 0 | -100 | 292 | 65 | -78 |
Toronto | 8,907 | 8,224 | -8 | 36,168 | 17,676 | -51 | 45,075 | 25,900 | -43 |
Trois-Rivières | 173 | 143 | -17 | 420 | 540 | 29 | 593 | 683 | 15 |
Vancouver | 6,128 | 5,876 | -4 | 24,864 | 27,672 | 11 | 30,992 | 33,548 | 8 |
Victoria | 836 | 1,075 | 29 | 1,344 | 1,608 | 20 | 2,180 | 2,683 | 23 |
Windsor | 568 | 518 | -9 | 1,152 | 24 | -98 | 1,720 | 542 | -68 |
Winnipeg | 1,897 | 2,559 | 35 | 3,492 | 3,864 | 11 | 5,389 | 6,423 | 19 |
Data based on 2016 Census Definitions.
Source: Market Analysis Centre, CMHC
## not calculable / extreme value