This page tracks new home construction in the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA) from CMHC’s monthly housing starts release, most recently for August 2026. The Toronto CMA is wider than the City of Toronto and takes in many surrounding municipalities. National and provincial figures, and the definitions used here, are on the Canada housing starts page; resale prices and sales are on the Toronto housing market page.
Toronto housing starts: August 2026
Actual starts in the Toronto CMA were 1,192 units in August 2026, against 2,156 in August 2025, a change of −45%. The six-month trend, which smooths out single large projects, was 25,131 units at an annual rate, against 25,112 in July 2026 (+0.1%).
| Dwelling type | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-detached | 220 | 320 | −31% |
| All other types | 972 | 1,836 | −47% |
| Total | 1,192 | 2,156 | −45% |
“All other types” is CMHC’s grouping of semi-detached, row and apartment units. It includes apartment buildings, so a few large projects starting in one month can move the monthly total a long way.
Toronto CMA Housing Starts: August 2026 vs. August 2025
Year to date
From January to August 2026, the Toronto CMA recorded 15,957 starts, against 16,451 in the same months a year earlier (−3%).
| Dwelling type | Year to date | Same months a year earlier | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-detached | 1,575 | 2,044 | −23% |
| All other types | 14,382 | 14,407 | −0.2% |
| Total | 15,957 | 16,451 | −3% |
Those 15,957 starts were 40% of Ontario’s year-to-date total of 39,823 (centres of 10,000 people or more), so the province’s construction numbers move largely with Toronto’s. Toronto’s six-month trend beside the other large cities’ is in the starts by city table.
Units under construction and completions
| Measure | August 2026 | July 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Units under construction | 91,584 | 92,749 | −1.3% |
| Completions in the month | 2,362 | 1,009 | +134% |
| Approved permits not yet started | 19,516 | 17,878 | +9.2% |
The under-construction count is the pipeline of homes that will reach the market over the next few years. It shrinks when completions run ahead of new starts, which is how a slow period for starts turns into fewer new homes finishing later. Approved permits not yet started are units with a building permit where CMHC has not yet seen construction begin.
Annual Toronto housing starts
CMHC’s January releases give each year’s Toronto CMA total. Starts were 26,087 in 2025, against 37,718 in 2024 (−31%) and 47,428 in 2023.
| Year | Single-detached | All other types | Total | Change from prior year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4,721 | 42,707 | 47,428 | |
| 2024 | 4,723 | 32,995 | 37,718 | −20% |
| 2025 | 3,257 | 22,830 | 26,087 | −31% |
What is shaping Toronto’s starts
CMHC has pointed to two connected shifts in what gets built. Looking back on 2025, its chief economist said economic uncertainty and “the diminished viability of large residential towers encouraged a shift towards smaller-scale projects.” Homes other than single-detached houses made up 88% of Toronto’s starts in 2025, so the economics of large multi-unit buildings drive the city’s totals.
The second is the split between rental and ownership housing. Releasing its Fall 2026 Housing Supply Report, CMHC said that in Toronto, with rental housing driving most new supply, “the housing supply gap is increasingly concentrated in the ownership market, where new construction remains exceptionally weak.”
Toronto’s housing supply gap
CMHC estimates the Toronto CMA needs 62,000 to 68,000 starts a year to restore its 2019 level of affordability by 2036, against about 42,000 a year expected if current trends continue. How CMHC builds that estimate, and the gap in other cities, are covered in Canada’s housing shortage.
Related pages
- Canada housing starts: national, provincial and city starts, with the glossary of CMHC terms
- Canada’s housing shortage: how many homes Canada needs
- Toronto housing market: resale prices and sales
- Toronto rental market: rents and vacancy
- More housing market analysis: affordability, prices, debt and who buys
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between October 6, 2026 and October 19, 2026. How we check facts.