Metropolitan housing starts: August 20, 2020
Long-term expectations remain negative
- There are six census metropolitan areas (CMAs) with positive short- and long-term expectations. That's two more than last month.
- Negative expectations still prevail for the long term.
- The CMAs with the biggest year-over-year percentage decreases in housing starts in July were Abbotsford–Mission, Windsor, Kitchener–Waterloo, Edmonton, and Greater Sudbury.
- Saskatoon had the biggest year-over-year percentage increase in housing starts last month.
Note: Positioning in the quadrant indicates short- and long-term expectations for each CMA’s housing market. The best position would be in the Up-Up quadrant, which shows positive prospects for both short- and long-term growth. The worst position would be in the Down-Down quadrant.
Sources: The Conference Board of Canada; CMHC, Housing Market Information Portal.
Metropolitan housing starts
|
|
Expectations |
| Year ago |
6–Mon. MA |
3–Mon. MA |
July 2020 |
Short term* |
Long term** |
| St. John’s |
326 |
283 |
320 |
519 |
– |
+ |
| Halifax |
2,543 |
3,222 |
3,600 |
6,695 |
– |
– |
| Saint John |
196 |
578 |
577 |
1,080 |
– |
– |
| Moncton |
1,254 |
1,739 |
2,651 |
4,598 |
+ |
– |
| Québec CMA |
8,982 |
n.a.*** |
9,876 |
6,728 |
+ |
– |
| Montréal |
24,940 |
n.a.*** |
36,017 |
35,748 |
– |
– |
| Trois–Rivières |
594 |
n.a.*** |
1,195 |
904 |
– |
– |
| Saguenay |
266 |
n.a.*** |
679 |
854 |
– |
– |
| Sherbrooke |
1,071 |
n.a.*** |
2,425 |
1,322 |
– |
– |
| Ottawa–Gatineau |
10,091 |
11,541 |
11,108 |
10,614 |
– |
– |
| Kingston |
979 |
992 |
1,505 |
1,214 |
– |
+ |
| Greater Sudbury |
354 |
163 |
155 |
243 |
+ |
+ |
| Thunder Bay |
164 |
752 |
280 |
155 |
+ |
+ |
| Oshawa |
1,476 |
1,703 |
1,704 |
1,571 |
+ |
+ |
| Toronto |
32,799 |
39,198 |
39,363 |
48,466 |
+ |
+ |
| Hamilton |
1,395 |
3,365 |
3,603 |
6,900 |
– |
– |
| St. Catharines–Niagara |
1,269 |
2,398 |
2,916 |
3,061 |
– |
+ |
| Kitchener–Waterloo |
5,145 |
3,534 |
3,733 |
2,214 |
– |
+ |
| London |
2,966 |
3,013 |
2,490 |
3,226 |
– |
– |
| Windsor |
4,773 |
1,318 |
1,206 |
961 |
+ |
– |
| Winnipeg |
4,706 |
4,845 |
4,906 |
5,528 |
– |
+ |
| Regina |
265 |
638 |
576 |
908 |
+ |
+ |
| Saskatoon |
720 |
2,233 |
3,315 |
6,776 |
– |
+ |
| Calgary |
8,134 |
8,335 |
7,315 |
8,793 |
– |
+ |
| Edmonton |
15,926 |
10,641 |
8,421 |
10,716 |
+ |
+ |
| Vancouver |
31,799 |
21,644 |
24,286 |
24,395 |
+ |
– |
| Victoria |
3,655 |
3,713 |
3,195 |
4,161 |
– |
– |
| Abbotsford–Mission |
2,919 |
907 |
520 |
479 |
– |
– |
Starts seasonally adjusted, annual rate.
*short-term expectations are based on residential permits data
**long-term expectations are based on demographic requirements
***CMHC did not collect data for Quebec in April, as the province's residential construction industry was shut from March 25 to April 19 due to COVID-19
Sources: The Conference Board of Canada; CMHC Housing Market Information Portal.
About the Metropolitan housing starts
The monthly Metropolitan housing starts publication provides the recent trends in housing starts for 29 metropolitan areas and expectations for starts over both the short and long term.
Disclaimer: Forecasts and research often involve numerous assumptions and data sources and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. Visit conferenceboard.ca for our latest insights. The Conference Board of Canada reserves the right to adjust content as necessary.
The spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID‑19) has created uncertainty in all global markets. We’re doing our best to provide timely updates, but information can fall out of date quickly. Visit conferenceboard.ca for our latest insights. The Conference Board of Canada reserves the right to adjust content as necessary.
Any errors or omissions in fact or interpretation are the responsibility of The Conference Board of Canada.
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