Canada’s housing starts slipped 0.1% month over month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 229,046 units in August 2026, the lowest level since March 2025 and below the 240,000-unit market forecast. The data from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. add to signs that the property market is stalling. Rural starts were estimated at an annualized 11,224 units. Actual monthly starts fell 2% from a year earlier in centres with populations of at least 10,000, where 17,691 units were recorded. Montréal’s six-month trend rose 6% month over month across all housing types, while Vancouver’s increased 6% on stronger multi-unit construction. Toronto’s trend was unchanged, with single-detached and multi-unit starts both flat. The August result followed a 5.6% drop in June, according to economists at TD Securities.