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October 19, 2026HOUSING STARTS, SEPTEMBER 2026 Monthly (September 2026 vs August 2026, seasonally adjusted annualized rate)
Nova Scotia’s housing starts (seasonally adjusted annualized rate) totalled 6,237 units in September 2026. This was a 9.8% decline from the previous month's revised value of 6,915 starts.
Housing starts in Halifax decreased to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 4,609 units in September 2026. This was a 7.4% decline from 4,975 units in August 2026.
Outside of Halifax, housing starts decreased to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1,628 units in September 2026, down 16.1% from 1,940 units in August 2026.
Across Canada, housing starts increased to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 248,896 units in September 2026, up 2.8% from 242,223 units reported in August 2026.
Housing starts were up in six provinces in September 2026, with the fastest percentage increase in Manitoba. The fastest decline was reported in Saskatchewan. Note: monthly changes in seasonally adjusted annualized housing starts are often volatile.
Year-over-year (September 2026 vs September 2025, seasonally adjusted annualized rate)
Nova Scotia's housing starts were down 5.1% compared with the 6,573 unit pace set in September 2025. Halifax housing starts were up 6.0% from their rate in September 2025 (4,349). Housing starts outside the city were down 26.8% year-over-year from their pace in September 2025 (2,224). Across Canada, housing starts were down 11.3% year-over-year in September 2026 with declines in five provinces. The fastest decline was reported in Ontario. The fastest gains were reported in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.
In unadjusted results for Halifax in September 2026, there were 388 housing starts and 205 completions. From August to September, the stock of units under construction in Halifax rose to 14,573 units, this was up 12.7% from units under construction in the same month last year (12,930).
Year-to-date (January-September 2026 vs January-September 2025)
Nova Scotia housing starts fell by 27.9% in the first nine months of 2026 compared to the same period a year ago, the fastest decline among provinces. Halifax housing starts decreased 35.4% in January-September 2026 compared to the same period a year ago, while housing starts in the rest of Nova Scotia declined 7.8%. Nationally, housing starts dropped 4.6% in the first nine months of 2026, with declines in five provinces. The fastest gain was reported in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Quarterly (Q3 2026 vs Q3 2025, unadjusted, not annualized)
There were a total 1,858 housing starts in Nova Scotia in Q3 2026, down 34.6% from 2,840 starts reported in Q3 2025.
Starts for single detached dwellings fell 33.7% from 688 units in Q3 2025 to 456 units in Q3 2026.
Starts for multiple dwelling units also declined 34.9% from 2,152 in Q3 2025 to 1,402 starts in Q3 2026.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 34-10-0158-01 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, housing starts, all areas, Canada and provinces, seasonally adjusted at annual rates, monthly (x 1,000) ; Table 34-10-0156-01 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, housing starts in all centres 10,000 and over, Canada, provinces, and census metropolitan areas, seasonally adjusted at annual rates, monthly (x 1,000); Table 34-10-0135-01 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, housing starts, under construction and completions, all areas, quarterly
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