Name: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, housing starts in all centres 10,000 and over, Canada, provinces, and census metropolitan areas, seasonally adjusted at annual rates, monthly
Creator: Statistics Canada
License: https://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, housing starts in all centres 10,000 and over, Canada, provinces, and census metropolitan areas, seasonally adjusted at annual rates, monthly — AI AnalysisCanada's housing starts data (Statistics Canada, Table 34100156) spans 36 years of monthly construction activity across 47 regions, revealing a long-run average of 172,628 seasonally adjusted annual units with significant cyclical swings — from a trough of 75,103 units in January 1996 to an all-timeKey Findings

Canada's housing starts peaked at 290,954 annualized units in March 2021, driven by pandemic-era demand and historically low interest rates, and hit their lowest recorded level of 75,103 units in January 1996 following the early 1990s recession.

The long-run monthly average across the full 36-year period is 172,628 units, with the COVID era (2020–2022) running approximately 33% above this baseline at an average of ~230,000 units annually.

Multi-unit housing (Multiples) has become the dominant construction category over time, with an average of 17,585 units and a maximum well above single-detached homes, reflecting a structural shift toward higher-density residential development.

Single-detached units show a median of 4,670 and a mean of 11,148 annualized starts, with a historical maximum of 144,496 units, highlighting substantial variability across the business cycle.

Larger provinces and CMAs — led by Canada overall, Ontario, and Quebec — dominate regional rankings, while smaller census metropolitan areas consistently record the lowest average housing starts over the 35+ year period.

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