CMHC says annual pace of housing starts in May down 0.2 per cent from April

People work on new residential construction in the Riverside South neighbourhood of Ottawa, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

OTTAWA — Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the annual pace of housing starts in May edged down 0.2 per cent compared with April.

The national housing agency says the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was 279,510 units in May compared with 280,181 in April.

The result came as annual pace of starts in cities with a population of 10,000 or greater was 259,804 in May compared with 259,916 in April.

The annual rate of rural starts was estimated at 19,706.

CMHC says actual housing starts in May in centres with a population of 10,000 or greater totalled 23,745 up from 21,814 in May 2024.

The six-month moving average of the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts in May was 243,407, up 0.8 per cent from April.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2025.