Ottawa housing starts up 22% in 2025

New homes are constructed in Ottawa on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

It has been a busy year for Ottawa’s housing construction industry, with housing starts up 22 per cent this year compared to the year before.

Statistics from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation show construction began on 7,945 new homes, apartments and condominiums in the January-October period, up from 6,520 units during the same period in 2024.

There were 777 housing starts in October in Ottawa, up from 474 new homes under construction in October 2024.

Construction on new apartments and condominiums has helped fuel the housing construction industry this year. The CMHC says construction began on 6,844 condos and apartments in the January-October period, up from 5,351 properties over the same period last year.

The number of new homes under construction dropped from 1,169 homes in January-October 2024 to 1,101 homes over the same 10-month period in 2025.

In September, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe unveiled Ottawa’s new Housing Action Plan, looking to boost development. The 53 actions include speeding up the approval process, lowering fees and unlocking urban intensification and transit-oriented development.

In Gatineau, home construction is down 38 per cent this. There were 1,917 housing starts in the January-October period, down from 3,089 housing starts during the same period in 2024.

Housing starts in Kingston are up 88 per cent this year. The statistics show construction has begun on 959 units this year, up from 509 during the same 10-month period in 2024.