Canada housing starts for April 279.3K vs 240.0K estimate

• Prior month 239.7K (revised higher from 235.9K)
• Canada housing starts surged 17% in April to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 279,317 units, up from 239,747 in March.
• The sharp monthly increase highlights the volatility in housing starts data and why month-to-month changes should be interpreted cautiously.
• Rural housing starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 13,694 units.

The 6 month trends showed:

• The trend in Canadian housing starts rose 3.2% in April to 256,777 units.
• The trend measure reflects a 6-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of total housing starts across Canada.
• Actual housing starts fell 1% year-over-year in centres with populations over 10,000, with 21,805 units started in April 2026 versus 21,938 in April 2025.
• Toronto housing starts jumped 34% year-over-year, driven primarily by stronger multi-unit construction.
• Vancouver housing starts declined 30% year-over-year due to weaker multi-unit and single-detached construction.
• Montréal housing starts increased 21% year-over-year, supported by stronger multi-unit starts.

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at investinglive.com.