CANADA — Housing starts accelerated on a seasonally adjusted monthly basis in September, but actual construction starts in urban communities remained below last year's level, according to CMHC's October 16 release.

The national annualized pace reached 248,896 units, up 3% from August's 242,223. That is an adjusted rate expressed over a year, not the number of homes actually started in September.

Different measures tell different parts of the story

In centres with at least 10,000 residents, actual September starts totalled 19,984, down 11% from 22,375 a year earlier. January–September starts in those centres were 170,964, down 4%.

The national six-month trend was broadly steady at 250,411. Toronto's trend was flat. These are not Hamilton-specific figures.

CMHC warned that inadequate construction could put recent affordability gains at risk. Starts measure new construction, separate from the resale transactions covered in TNC's home-sales report.

Source: CMHC's complete September construction release, distributed October 16 at 8:52 a.m. Toronto time.

Lead image: Toronto row houses, March 2007 file photograph by Bardia Khajenoori (Bardiak), Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Historical housing context, not September 2026 construction or current listings.