Bob Dugan, Chief Economist, CMHC
OTTAWA – The trend in housing starts was 258,295 units in June, up from 252,444 units in May, 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.
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 clearer picture of upcoming new housing supply. In some situations, analyzing only SAAR data can be misleading, as the multi-unit segment largely drives the market and can vary significantly from one month to the next.
“The monthly SAAR was lower in June compared to May; however, the level of housing starts activity in Canada remains historically high and well above 200,000 units since 2020,” said Bob Dugan, CMHC’s Chief Economist. “The decrease in monthly SAAR housing starts in Canada’s urban areas was driven by lower single-detached starts in June. Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal all recorded higher total SAAR starts, driven by higher multi-unit starts except for Montreal where single-detached starts posted a higher increase.”
The standalone monthly SAAR of total housing starts for all areas in Canada in June was 273,841 units, a decrease of 3 per cent from May. The SAAR of total urban starts decrease by 3 per cent to 257,438 units in June. Multi-unit urban starts declined by 2 per cent to 197,022 units, while single-detached urban starts decreased by 4 per cent to 60,416 units.
Rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 16,403 units.
