Trade risks add uncertainty even as Canadas housing starts rise: CMHC – National [Video]

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the annual pace of housing starts in January rose three per cent compared with December, helped by strength in multi-unit starts in Quebec and B.C.

The national housing agency says the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was 239,739 units in January, up from 232,492 in December.

The increase came as the annual pace of urban starts also rose three per cent to 220,643 in January compared with 215,052 in December. The annual pace of multi-unit urban starts, such as apartments, condominiums and townhouses, rose eight per cent, driven by more purpose-built rentals concentrated in Quebec and B.C.

Actual housing starts were up seven per cent year-over-year in cities with a population of at least 10,000, with 15,930 units started in January 2025, compared with 14,883 in January 2024.

Montreal posted a 112 per cent year-over-year increase in actual housing starts in January, while Vancouver recorded a 37 per …