National housing starts lower, but N.S. boasts its ahead of its housing plan
Posted Sep 16, 2026 10:18:02 AM.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. reports the annual pace of housing starts for August edged lower compared with July.
The national housing agency says the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts came in at 229,046 units for August, down from 229,360 in July.
The result came as actual monthly housing starts in centres with a population of 10,000 or more totalled 17,691 in August, down from 18,112 units in August 2025.
The annual pace of rural starts was estimated at 11,224 units.
The six-month moving average of the seasonally adjusted annual rate of total housing starts for all areas in Canada was 244,149 in August, down 1.3 per cent from July.
CMHC deputy chief economist Kevin Hughes says housing starts continued to trend slightly down in August, as modest gains in Quebec and Alberta only partially offset the decline in other provinces, most notably, Ontario.
Nova Scotia ahead of housing plan, government says
According to staff and ministers at a press briefing on Wednesday, the province is well ahead of its plan to create more homes.
“We set ambitious targets because Nova Scotians needed us to move with urgency. Three years in, we are exceeding two of those targets and closing in on the third, but we are not done,” John White, Minister of Housing, said. “We will keep investing, building and working with partners so more Nova Scotians can find homes that are safe, affordable and right for them.”
According to data released in the update, the government doubled its goal of 41,200 housing starts, more than 1,400 people were able to buy a home through the Down Payment Assistance Program, 7,000 affordable and support housing units are underway — 2,000 more than the goal.
“These numbers represent opportunities for real people, now and into the future – seniors able to stay safely in their homes, healthcare workers accessing housing in the communities they serve, first-time buyers opening the door to homeownership, and communities seeing new homes take shape,” White said.
However, high rents and low vacancy rates across the province remain stubborn.
According to Rentals.ca and Urbanation released its June report, which showed Nova Scotia has knocked off British Columbia for the top spot with the most expensive apartment and condo market in Canada.
The report says average asking rents for apartments in Nova Scotia rose 2.6 per cent in May to $2,343 compared to B.C., which has average asking rents of $2,328.
