Canada needs more rental housing—but are developers confident enough to build it? . We sat down with CMHC’s Deputy Chief Economist Aled ab Iorwerth to unpack the key findings from the 2025 Canadian Rental Construction Survey. 🎧 Listen in:

Canada is starting to act on trade barriers—now we need to match that momentum with nation-building investments in infrastructure. That’s how we build a stable and resilient Canadian housing market, and more homes across Canada. 🏘️🇨🇦. 📖 Read more:

🚧 Interprovincial transportation constraints are holding back housing progress. Upgraded West-to-East rail, highways, and deep-sea ports could unlock better use of domestic supply—and bring materials to where housing is needed most.

📦 Canada produces enough core construction materials—like wood, steel & aluminum—to support more housing. But we’re not using them to their full potential. Distance & transport costs stop firms from buying across provinces. That’s a missed opportunity.

🏗️ New CMHC modelling shows that eliminating #TradeBarriers could result in 30,000 more housing starts per year. That’s a 15% boost toward closing Canada’s #SupplyGap—helping meet demand, increase access to ownership, and free up rental units for others.

🚛 Removing interprovincial trade barriers is a win for #HousingSupply, but it’s only part of the solution. We also need infrastructure, like railways, highways, and ports to move materials where they’re needed most.

Both Montreal and Toronto saw year-over-year decreases in actual housing starts. On the other hand, Vancouver recorded a 74% increase in starts in June, driven by higher multi-unit starts.

In urban centres (pop. 10,000+), actual housing starts were up 14% year-over-year with 23,282 units recorded in June, compared to 20,509 units in June 2024. 🏢🏠/3

The total monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of #HousingStarts for June 2025 stayed flat at 283,734 units compared to May’s 282,705 units. 📊/2

Latest housing starts data show that in June the 6-month trend increased 3.6%, driven primarily by strong purpose-built rental construction in western Canada. But #TOR and #VAN saw significant declines due to a weakening condo market. Let’s look at June housing starts data (a🧵)

🌲 Ask an Expert: Eco️ Edition🌲 . Join us and a housing expert to explore our products for mortgage loan insurance clients with energy efficient homes. 🎥 Watch here:

🎉 Congrats to all 20 teams! 🎉 . Your work is essential to supporting the community housing sector—and increasing and preserving the affordable housing supply. Get the details:

📥 Read the full update → /6

🔎 Takeaway: Supply is increasing, but renters still face rising costs and fewer affordable options. /5

📉 Slower migration + a soft labour market = less demand. 🧑‍🎓 Caps on international students & high #YouthUnemployment are cooling pressure on rents in some markets. But shared living is on the rise as affordability remains tight. #AffordabilityCrisis #HousingTrends. /4

🏗️ Good news: Purpose-built rental apartment construction is up—CMHC financing supported 88% of 2024 starts. But in the short term, vacant units are sitting longer. Tenants are being offered incentives like free rent or move-in bonuses. #HousingStarts #RentalSupply. /3

🏙️ Advertised rents are starting to drop in cities like Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver & Halifax (2–8% YoY). But rents for occupied units are still rising due to turnover pricing. ➡️ In Toronto, new renters pay up to 44% more than current tenants. #RentTrends. /2

Canada’s #RentalMarket is shifting. Our 2025 mid-year rental market update shows rent growth cooling, but #RentalAffordability remains a challenge. Here are the key trends you should know ⬇️. /1

RT @StatCan_eng: In the first quarter of 2025, Vancouver was the census metropolitan area with the highest asking rent for a two-bedroom ap….

Learn more about each recipient!. 🔗 #HousingResearch #AffordableHousing #NonProfits