Methodology & sources
Every figure on this site is computed from official Statistics Canada and CMHC tables by a fixed, automated process. Values a source does not publish are shown as “Not published” — never estimated, interpolated or borrowed from a province.
Reference period and freshness
Current data: Trailing 12 months ending June 2026 (July 2025 to June 2026), compared with the 12 months before (July 2024 to June 2025). The period is the latest month in which every core monthly series is published for all 16 markets, so markets are always compared over the same months. Stocks (units under construction, pending starts) are read at June 2026. Population uses the July 1, 2025 estimates. Construction price growth averages the quarters starting July 2025, October 2025, January 2026 and April 2026.
Source data were last retrieved September 12, 2026; this dataset was generated September 13, 2026. Page build dates shown on the site are not data dates. The dataset is refreshed when sources publish new data, typically monthly.
Per-capita normalization
Housing starts, completions, units under construction, pending starts and authorized units are divided by population and shown per 1,000 residents. Raw dollar and unit totals mostly measure market size, so they are shown for context but never used as a ranking basis.
Nominal and constant-dollar growth
Nominal permit and investment values include changes in construction prices, so nominal growth does not equal growth in physical construction. Constant-dollar growth uses Statistics Canada’s own constant-dollar permit and investment series. The two are shown side by side; the site does not present their difference as an amount “caused by” inflation, because price-index deflation is not an additive subtraction.
The residential building construction price index (BCPI) is published quarterly and not for every CMA. It is not published for Hamilton and Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo; those markets read “Not published” for price growth.
Single-family and multi-family
Residential construction is not treated as one market. Starts are split into single-detached, semi-detached, row and apartment units, and permit value growth is shown separately for single-dwelling and multiple-dwelling buildings. The two segments often move differently.
Pending starts and lag relationships
Pending starts (permits issued, construction not started) are a useful secondary indicator of the current backlog. The published CMA-level history is short and the measured relationship with later starts is weak, so pending starts are used to compare markets today, not to forecast.
Relationships between permits, starts and completions are aggregate statistical patterns across many projects. They are not project-level construction timelines, and this site does not publish forecasts.
Rankings, comparisons and observations
Every ranking sorts on one published metric. There is no composite, opportunity or attractiveness score. Ties are judged at the displayed precision; markets without a published value are listed without a rank, and a ranking page is only generated when at least 12 of 16 markets have a value. Written observations are produced by fixed rules from the values on the page. They describe measured conditions and avoid causal claims.
Geography
Markets are census metropolitan areas (CMAs), joined across tables on Statistics Canada geography codes rather than names. The update process stops if a source’s geography codes change.
- Ottawa–Gatineau: Statistics Canada publishes building permit values and investment in building construction for this CMA as separate provincial parts; the parts are summed to the CMA total.
- Ottawa–Gatineau: The construction price index is published for one provincial part of this CMA only, and that part is used.
Metric definitions
| Metric | Definition | Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Housing starts per 1,000 residents | Housing starts (all dwelling types) over the trailing 12 months divided by the CMA population estimate, per 1,000 residents. | 16/16 |
| Housing starts, trailing 12 months | Dwelling units started over the trailing 12 months (CMHC Starts and Completions Survey). | 16/16 |
| Housing starts, change vs prior 12 months | Change in trailing-12-month housing starts compared with the 12 months before. | 16/16 |
| Housing completions per 1,000 residents | Dwelling units completed over the trailing 12 months divided by the CMA population estimate, per 1,000 residents. | 16/16 |
| Housing completions, trailing 12 months | Dwelling units completed over the trailing 12 months. | 16/16 |
| Completions, change vs prior 12 months | Change in trailing-12-month completions compared with the 12 months before. | 16/16 |
| Units under construction per 1,000 residents | Dwelling units under construction at the end of the reference period (a stock, not a 12-month flow) per 1,000 residents. | 16/16 |
| Units under construction | Dwelling units under construction at the end of the reference period. | 16/16 |
| Under construction, change vs a year earlier | Change in units under construction compared with the same month a year earlier. | 16/16 |
| Pending starts per 1,000 residents | Units with a building permit issued but not yet started, at the end of the reference period, per 1,000 residents. A secondary indicator of the current pipeline, not a forecast of starts. | 16/16 |
| Pending starts | Units with a building permit issued but not yet started, at the end of the reference period. | 16/16 |
| Pending starts, change vs a year earlier | Change in pending starts compared with the same month a year earlier. | 16/16 |
| Dwelling units authorized per 1,000 residents | Dwelling units created by building permits issued over the trailing 12 months, per 1,000 residents. | 16/16 |
| Authorized units, change vs prior 12 months | Change in dwelling units authorized by building permits compared with the prior 12 months. | 16/16 |
| Residential permit value growth (nominal) | Change in the value of residential building permits over the trailing 12 months versus the prior 12 months, in current dollars. | 16/16 |
| Residential permit value growth (constant dollars) | The same change measured with Statistics Canada’s constant-dollar permit values, which remove construction-price change. | 16/16 |
| Single-dwelling permit value growth (constant dollars) | Constant-dollar growth in permit value for single-dwelling buildings. | 16/16 |
| Multiple-dwelling permit value growth (constant dollars) | Constant-dollar growth in permit value for multiple-dwelling buildings. | 16/16 |
| Single-dwelling permit value growth (nominal) | Current-dollar growth in permit value for single-dwelling buildings. | 16/16 |
| Multiple-dwelling permit value growth (nominal) | Current-dollar growth in permit value for multiple-dwelling buildings. | 16/16 |
| Residential investment growth (nominal) | Change in residential building investment over the trailing 12 months versus the prior 12 months, current dollars. | 16/16 |
| Residential investment growth (constant dollars) | The same change measured in Statistics Canada’s constant-dollar investment series. | 16/16 |
| Residential construction price growth | Change in the residential building construction price index (average of the four latest quarters versus the four before). Not published for every CMA. | 14/16 |
| Residential construction price index (2023 = 100) | Average of the four latest quarterly index values, 2023 = 100. Each market is indexed to its own 2023 prices, so index levels show price change within a market and cannot be compared across markets. | 14/16 |
| Renovation share of residential investment | Renovation spending as a share of total residential building investment over the trailing 12 months. | 16/16 |
| Alterations share of residential permit value | Permit value for alterations and improvements as a share of all residential permit value — an independent view of renovation activity. | 16/16 |
| Apartment share of housing starts | Apartment and other unit types as a share of all housing starts over the trailing 12 months. | 16/16 |
| Single-detached share of housing starts | Single-detached units as a share of all housing starts over the trailing 12 months. | 16/16 |
| Rental share of housing starts | Starts intended for the rental market as a share of all starts over the trailing 12 months. | 16/16 |
| Population | July 1 population estimate for the census metropolitan area. | 16/16 |
| Residential permit value, trailing 12 months | Value of residential building permits, current dollars. | 16/16 |
Sources
| Source | Used for | Frequency · unit · adjustment | Latest period | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building permits, by type of structure and type of work Statistics Canada · 34-10-0292-01 | Residential permit value (nominal and constant-dollar), single vs multiple dwelling permits, alterations | monthly · dollars; dwelling units · Unadjusted; current and constant dollars | June 2026 | September 12, 2026 |
| Investment in building construction Statistics Canada · 34-10-0293-01 | Residential investment growth, renovation share of residential investment | monthly · dollars · Unadjusted; current and constant dollars | June 2026 | September 12, 2026 |
| CMHC housing starts, under construction and completions in selected CMAs, monthly Statistics Canada (CMHC Starts and Completions Survey) · 34-10-0154-01 | Housing starts, completions and units under construction by dwelling type | monthly · dwelling units · Unadjusted | July 2026 | September 12, 2026 |
| CMHC housing starts by type of dwelling and market type Statistics Canada (CMHC Starts and Completions Survey) · 34-10-0148-01 | Rental and condominium share of starts | monthly · dwelling units · Unadjusted | July 2026 | September 12, 2026 |
| Building construction price indexes, by type of building and division Statistics Canada · 18-10-0289-01 | Residential construction price growth | quarterly · index (2023=100) · Not applicable | April 2026 | September 12, 2026 |
| Population estimates, July 1, by census metropolitan area and census agglomeration Statistics Canada · 17-10-0148-01 | Per-capita (per 1,000 residents) normalization | annual · persons · Not applicable | 2025 | September 12, 2026 |
| Residential building permits issued, not started (pending starts) CMHC · CMHC housing market data table | Pending starts (approved units awaiting a housing start) | monthly · dwelling units · Unadjusted | July 2026 | 19 monthly editions |
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Raw source files are archived by retrieval date and never overwritten.
Data access and commercial use
The published figures are available as a downloadable, documented dataset on the data products page.
Contact
Questions or corrections: contact@cmintel.ca.