Canadian Cities
Have a clear understanding of economic growth in Canadian cities to reinforce or shift your business decisions.
Housing Market Update for November 2025
Canadian Economics November 25, 2025
Canadian existing home sales edged up 0.9 per cent in October. The gain is the sixth in the past seven months, continuing an ascent toward typical pre-pandemic volumes. Conditions nonetheless remain uninspiring. October sales hovered 6 per cent below their seasonally adjusted 10-year average (which includes the COVID-era sales run-up) and 2.1 per cent below the average of the previous 20 Octobers.
Online experience • 8-min read
Major City Insights
Canadian Economics October 30, 2025
How much are trade tensions with the United States and China weighing on consumer confidence and holding back business investment in cities across Canada? Which sectors of local economies are still on track to expand and add jobs this year—and which will lose them? We share our urban economic outlook, including local GDP, employment, and population growth.
Online experience • 8-min read
The Impact of Announced Federal Public Service Cuts on Ottawa-Gatineau’s Economy
Canadian Economics October 28, 2025
The federal government is facing a difficult fiscal environment as weak economic growth limits revenue gains while spending commitments will add to program spending. An ageing population and slower population growth will weigh on revenues. At the same time, renewed commitments to national defence and infrastructure will strain finances.
Commentary • 6-min read
The True Cost of Trump Tariffs: City Impacts
Canadian Economics April 1, 2025
In February, we released results of our national and provincial scenarios that assessed the impact of 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian exports to the U.S., with retaliation from Canada. Here we estimate the impact on the economies of 24 Census Metropolitan Areas of those same assumptions.
Commentary • 16-min read
Considering Development Charges in Canada’s Housing Market
Canadian Economics March 12, 2025
Rapid population growth and a shrinking household size have fuelled strong housing demand growth. Estimates of the additional dwellings required to improve housing affordability run into the millions. This situation has sparked a spirited debate about how to finance associated infrastructure, like roads, waterworks, libraries, and parks.
Impact paper • 15-min read
A Closer Look at Immigrant Onward Migration in Canada
Immigration November 19, 2024
This second look at The Leaky Bucket reveals that the proportion of immigrants leaving Canada has reached an all-time high. Despite extreme pandemic travel restrictions, immigrants still found ways to leave in record numbers.
Impact paper • 22-min read
Airbnb Activity and Rental Markets in Canada
Canadian Economics July 26, 2024
This research is the first to empirically evaluate the effect of Airbnb activity on housing affordability, and specifically rents, in a Canada-wide context. It is also the first piece of research to use actual Airbnb booking data, rather than using listings data scraped by third parties from the Airbnb website.
Primer • 44-min read
How Generative AI Could Close Canada’s Productivity Gap and Reshape the Workplace
Innovation & Technology February 20, 2024
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is upending work as we know it. Though these tools are still in their infancy, they can already summarize documents, analyze reams of data, forecast trends, and support code development.
Impact paper • 30-min read
Airbnb Activity and Rental Markets in Canada
Canadian Economics October 11, 2023
Rents across Canadian cities have increased since 2016, alongside an increase in Airbnb activity. At the same time, cities and provinces across Canada have implemented regulations for short-term rentals, including restrictions limiting short-term rentals to a host’s principal place of residence in some locations.
Data briefing • 25-min read
Value for Money: Economic Impact of the Halifax Shipyard Under the National Shipbuilding Strategy, 2023
Canadian Economics May 29, 2023
The National Shipbuilding Strategy is generating significant economic impact across Canada. The Halifax Shipyard adheres to the ITB Policy and invests across Canada to compensate for 100 per cent of the value of work done abroad.
Data briefing • 6-min read
Governing Disruption: Toward Canada’s New Mobility Future
Sustainability May 18, 2023
Technologies like vehicle automation, ride-hailing, and micromobility suggest many opportunities for improving local transportation systems. Automated vehicles, for example, can make transportation safer and more accessible. Ride-sharing can reduce rates of car ownership, and micromobility can provide a “last-mile” connection to public transit.
Issue briefing • 17-min read
Positive Expectations Continue to Dwindle: Metropolitan Housing Starts
Canadian Economics January 27, 2023
Only two CMAs remain in the Up-Up quadrant this month, two fewer than last month. Negative expectations now outweigh positives for the short term.
Online experience • 5-min read
The Resale Market Stabilizes: Metropolitan Resale Snapshot
Canadian Economics December 1, 2022
National existing home sales inched higher in October as an increase of 1.3 per cent interrupted a string of seven straight declines. Buyers continue to be wary against a backdrop of high interest rates and uncertain economic prospects.
Online experience • 8-min read
