Housing starts in Canada fell 6% in June 2026 from the previous month, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 239,000 units. This followed a downwardly revised 253,000 units in May and came in below market expectations of 258,000 units.
The number of building permits declined 1.1% from the prior month. Units under construction in centres with populations above 50,000 were essentially unchanged, edging up 0.2% to 375,469 units. Meanwhile, completed constructions totalled 18,298 units, an increase of 8.4% compared with May.
By region, Vancouver posted the largest decrease, with housing starts down 35%, driven by declines in both multi-unit and single-detached projects. In contrast, the largest increase was recorded in Toronto, where starts rose 25% on the back of higher multi-unit construction, followed by Montreal with a 10% gain.
