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September 17, 2025HOUSING STARTS, AUGUST 2025 Monthly (August 2025 vs July 2025, seasonally adjusted annualized rate)
Nova Scotia’s housing starts (seasonally adjusted annualized rate) totalled 7,646 units in August 2025, following the highest monthly housing starts units (17,662 units in July) on record since January 1990 (5,840 units, the beginning of this data series). This was a 56.7% decline from the previous month's revised value of 17,662 starts.
Housing starts in Halifax fell to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 5,395 units in August 2025. This was a 61.7% decline from 14,101 units in July 2025.
Outside of Halifax, housing starts declined to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 2,251 units in August 2025, down 36.8% from 3,561 units in July 2025.
Across Canada, housing starts dropped to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 245,791 units in August 2025, down 16.3% from 293,537 units reported in July 2025.
Housing starts were down in all provinces except Manitoba in August 2025, with the fastest percentage declines in Nova Scotia and Ontario. (Note: monthly changes in seasonally adjusted annualized housing starts are often volatile).
Year-over-year (August 2025 vs August 2024, seasonally adjusted annualized rate)
Nova Scotia's housing starts were up 91.9% compared with the 3,985 unit pace set in August 2024, the second fastest gain among provinces. Halifax housing starts were up 113.4% from their rate in August 2024 (2,528). Housing starts outside the city were up 54.5% year-over-year from their pace in August 2024 (1,457). Across Canada, housing starts were up 15.4% year-over-year in August 2025 with gains in six provinces. Prince Edward Island reported the fastest gain while New Brunswick reported the steepest decline in housing starts year-over-year.
In unadjusted results for Halifax in August 2025, there were 452 housing starts and 191 completions. The stock of units under construction rose to 12,832 units in Halifax from the previous month, up 17.3% from units under construction in the same month last year (10,937).
Year-to-date (January-August 2024 vs January-August 2025)
Nova Scotia housing starts rose 20.6% in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period a year ago. Halifax housing starts have increased 22.1% in January-August 2025 compared to the same period a year ago, while housing starts in the rest of Nova Scotia rose 16.5%. Nationally, housing starts grew 4.3% in the first eight months of 2025, with gains in seven provinces. Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island posted the largest gains while Ontario posted the fastest decline in housing starts.
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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