Canada’s most renovation-oriented construction markets
Trailing 12 months ending June 2026 16 of 16 markets published
What this measures
Renovation spending as a share of total residential building investment over the trailing 12 months.
A high renovation share means more of a market’s residential construction spending goes to existing buildings rather than new construction. The alterations share of permit value is an independent check from a different Statistics Canada table.
Ranked on this single metric only — no composite score.
Observations
- Hamilton ranks first at 60.3%, ahead of Montréal at 58.3%.
- The highest value is 3.2 times the lowest (Calgary, 18.6%).
- The median across 16 ranked markets is 39.5%.
- 8 of 16 markets direct 40% or more of residential investment to renovation.
Renovation share of residential investment
Full table
| Rank | Market | Renovation share | Alterations share | Apartment share | Investment, real |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamilton | 60.3% | 16.8% | 86.5% | −6.9% |
| 2 | Montréal | 58.3% | 18.3% | 91.2% | +11.6% |
| 3 | Winnipeg | 55.5% | 12.9% | 56.2% | +44.4% |
| 4 | Toronto | 50.8% | 10.0% | 75.6% | −10.0% |
| 5 | Saskatoon | 48.6% | 5.9% | 53.1% | +7.1% |
| 6 | Regina | 48.3% | 7.2% | 56.2% | +7.5% |
| 7 | Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo | 44.1% | 8.2% | 86.1% | +20.0% |
| 8 | Québec City | 40.0% | 9.6% | 82.2% | +19.8% |
| 9 | London | 39.0% | 7.0% | 78.5% | +15.0% |
| 10 | Halifax | 38.6% | 4.2% | 78.2% | −4.7% |
| 11 | Victoria | 37.9% | 8.0% | 79.9% | +3.0% |
| 12 | Moncton | 37.1% | 5.5% | 73.9% | −6.7% |
| 13 | Ottawa–Gatineau | 30.4% | 6.2% | 67.2% | −12.9% |
| 14 | Vancouver | 28.5% | 4.9% | 78.6% | +8.6% |
| 15 | Edmonton | 19.7% | 4.6% | 46.7% | −5.7% |
| 16 | Calgary | 18.6% | 4.0% | 55.2% | −17.7% |
- Alterations share:
- Permit value for alterations and improvements as a share of all residential permit value — an independent view of renovation activity.
- Apartment share:
- Apartment and other unit types as a share of all housing starts over the trailing 12 months.
- Investment, real:
- The same change measured in Statistics Canada’s constant-dollar investment series.
Related rankings
Sources and data period
Figures cover the trailing 12 months ending June 2026, the latest period published for all 16 markets. Source data retrieved through September 12, 2026. This page was built on November 8, 2026; the build date is not the data period. Values not published by the source are shown as “Not published”, never estimated.
- Statistics Canada — Building permits, by type of structure and type of work
Table 34-10-0292-01 · monthly · dollars; dwelling units · latest period June 2026
- Statistics Canada — Investment in building construction
Table 34-10-0293-01 · monthly · dollars · latest period June 2026
- Statistics Canada (CMHC Starts and Completions Survey) — CMHC housing starts, under construction and completions in selected CMAs, monthly
Table 34-10-0154-01 · monthly · dwelling units · latest period July 2026