OTTAWA — Nationally, the housing starts total for all areas in Canada in 2025 was 259,028, the fifth highest annual total on record and up 5.6% compared to 2024 (245,367). Actual 2025 housing starts in centres of 10,000 population and over were up 6%, with 241,171 units recorded, compared to 227,697 in 2024. These increases were driven by a second consecutive year of record rental housing starts. …While housing starts in 2025 finished ahead of 2024 and inched up in December, most of the momentum in housing construction occurred in the Spring and Summer. Since September, the trend in housing starts has consistently decreased. In 2025, economic uncertainty and the diminished viability of large residential towers encouraged a shift towards smaller-scale projects,” said Mathieu Laberge, Chief Economist at CMHC. As such, housing starts are beginning this year from a weaker position and market intelligence suggests slowing momentum for residential construction.