Vancouver Housing Leads National Starts Surge

Canada’s housing starts rose slightly by 0.4% in June, but the data reveals that this modest national gain is largely thanks to Vancouver. The West Coast city is seeing a surge in multi-unit construction, keeping the national trend afloat despite weakness in other urban cores.
According to CMHC, Vancouver is leading all major metros in new groundbreakings, especially for purpose-built rentals and townhome developments.

What’s Fueling Vancouver’s Growth?

Several factors are contributing to Vancouver’s dominance in current housing activity:

• Provincial and municipal support for affordable housing and density
• Federal funding allocations directed toward rental supply and fast-track permitting
• High immigration demand in B.C.’s Lower Mainland
• A shift toward mid-rise and low-rise projects in transit-connected neighbourhoods

Builders have doubled down on multi-unit formats, particularly in areas like Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, and East Vancouver, where approvals have picked up pace.

Rental starts are surging in 2025 — read more on housing starts & supply

What About Other Cities?

While Vancouver is expanding quickly, Toronto’s numbers remain sluggish, especially in the condo segment. Rising project costs and financing hurdles continue to delay launches.
Meanwhile, Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon are showing healthy growth, but Vancouver alone accounts for the largest share of national starts this month.

This construction surge may soon impact inventory levels — condo listings have already jumped 17% in just one month. For the bigger picture, check out our full 2025 market outlook for Vancouver.

CMHC Data Highlights – June 2025

What This Means for You

If you’re house-hunting in B.C., especially in Greater Vancouver, the surge in construction could mean more rental and ownership options hitting the market later this year and into 2026.
However, many of these projects won’t complete for 12–24 months. So, affordability challenges still persist in the short term, especially for single-family homes.