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June 16, 2026HOUSING STARTS, MAY 2026 Monthly (May 2026 vs April 2026, seasonally adjusted annualized rate)
Nova Scotia’s housing starts (seasonally adjusted annualized rate) totalled 12,136 units in May 2026. This was a 128.4% gain from the previous month's revised value of 5,314 starts.
Housing starts in Halifax accelerated to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 9,219 units in May 2026. This was a 281.3% increase from 2,418 units in April 2026.
Outside of Halifax, housing starts increased to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 2,917 units in May 2026, up 0.7% from 2,896 units in April 2026.
Across Canada, housing starts declined to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 261,377 units in May 2026, down 6.1% from 278,380 units reported in April 2026.
Housing starts were down in five provinces in May 2026, with the fastest percentage decline in Newfoundland and Labrador. The fastest gain was reported in Nova Scotia. Note: monthly changes in seasonally adjusted annualized housing starts are often volatile.
Year-over-year (May 2026 vs May 2025, seasonally adjusted annualized rate)
Nova Scotia's housing starts were up 26.6% compared with the 9,587 unit pace set in May 2025. Halifax housing starts were up 38.8% from their rate in May 2025 (6,643). Housing starts outside the city were down 0.9% year-over-year from their pace in May 2025 (2,944). Across Canada, housing starts were down 6.2% year-over-year in May 2026 with declines in six provinces. The fastest declines were reported in Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick. The largest gain was reported in Prince Edward Island.
In unadjusted results for Halifax in May 2026, there were 759 housing starts and 84 completions. From April to May, the stock of units under construction in Halifax rose to 14,224 units, this was up 23.4% from units under construction in the same month last year (11,527).
Year-to-date (January-May 2025 vs January-May 2026)
Nova Scotia housing starts fell by 22.5% in the first five months of 2026 compared to the same period a year ago, the fastest decline among provinces. Halifax housing starts decreased 33.8% in January-May 2026 compared to the same period a year ago, while housing starts in the rest of Nova Scotia rose 10.3%. Nationally, housing starts grew 2.8% in the first five months of 2026, with gains in seven provinces, led by Manitoba.
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)
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