Annual Pace Of Canadian Housing Starts Surge 30% In April

Canada saw a strong jump in new home construction in April. The annual pace of housing starts rose 30 percent from March to April. Builders began work on 278,606 homes at an annual rate, up from 214,205 in March.

Most of this growth came from city building. Urban starts climbed to a rate of 259,788 homes, up 28 percent from 202,668 in March. In actual numbers, builders started 21,720 urban homes in April, which is a 17 percent increase compared to April 2024.

Rural housing also saw steady work, with around 18,818 new starts recorded in April. When counting both urban and rural, the six-month average pace of housing launches edged up by 2.4 percent to 240,905 starts.

Experts point out that not all regions saw the same growth. Quebec and Prairie provinces led the way, with strong gains in multi-unit projects. At the same time, Ontario and British Columbia experienced small year-over-year dips in new starts.

Economists note that some of the increase may be due to regular monthly swings in construction numbers. They say this kind of rise in multi-unit housing can happen from one month to the next just because of timing. Still, April’s gains went well beyond what was expected by most analysts.

Despite the big April boost, May numbers showed little change. Starts held steady at around 279,510 at an annual rate, dipping just 0.2 percent from April. April’s surge is a positive early sign, but the steadier trend in May suggests growth may be balancing out rather than powering ahead. These efforts come as Canada works to build more homes and ease price pressures. The April increase offers hope that new supply is finally picking up, though experts say it’s too early to say if it marks a lasting recovery.