Canada's housing starts stuck at 1970s levels, while population growth has tripled, study finds

Canada’s ‘Pause’ on Immigration-Driven Population Growth May Be a Statistical Illusion

Commentary Last fall, Ottawa responded to a surge in public support for immigration restriction with a cut to immigration levels that it promised would “pause population growth in the short term” to ease “pressures on housing, infrastructure and social services.” But a curious question about this policy U-turn is beginning to emerge: Is Canada’s population growth really on pause? A new report by Benjamin Tal, CIBC’s deputy chief economist, argue…

Canada's housing starts stuck at 1970s levels, while population growth has tripled, study finds

The study shows that annual housing starts from 2021 to 2024 almost perfectly mirrored starts from 1972 to 1975, despite a population surge.

Homebuilding in Saskatchewan lags far behind population explosion

Saskatchewan leads Canada with the widest gap between newcomers and housing starts as builders cannot keep pace with population growth.