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August 19, 2026HOUSING STARTS, JULY 2026 Monthly (July 2026 vs June 2026, seasonally adjusted annualized rate)
Nova Scotia’s housing starts (seasonally adjusted annualized rate) totalled 8,156 units in July 2026. This was a 27.9% increase from the previous month's revised value of 6,377 starts.
Housing starts in Halifax rose to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 5,352 units in July 2026. This was a 49.3% increase from 3,585 units in June 2026.
Outside of Halifax, housing starts increased to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 2,804 units in July 2026, up 0.4% from 2,792 units in June 2026.
Across Canada, housing starts declined to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 229,074 units in July 2026, down 4.9% from 240,773 units reported in June 2026.
Housing starts were down in six provinces in July 2026, with the fastest percentage decline in Saskatchewan. The fastest gain was reported in Prince Edward Island. Note: monthly changes in seasonally adjusted annualized housing starts are often volatile.
Year-over-year (July 2026 vs July 2025, seasonally adjusted annualized rate)
Nova Scotia's housing starts were down 54.2% compared with the 17,816 unit pace set in July 2025. Halifax housing starts were down 62.1% from their rate in July 2025 (14,105). Housing starts outside the city were down 24.4% year-over-year from their pace in June 2025 (3,711). Across Canada, housing starts were down 22.1% year-over-year in July 2026 with declines in six provinces. The fastest decline was reported in Nova Scotia. The fastest gains were reported in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
In unadjusted results for Halifax in July 2026, there were 452 housing starts and 116 completions. From June to July, the stock of units under construction in Halifax rose to 14,751 units, this was up 17.3% from units under construction in the same month last year (12,571).
Year-to-date (January-July 2025 vs January-July 2026)
Nova Scotia housing starts fell by 31.4% in the first seven months of 2026 compared to the same period a year ago, the fastest decline among provinces. Halifax housing starts decreased 41.3% in January-July 2026 compared to the same period a year ago, while housing starts in the rest of Nova Scotia were down 3.7%. Nationally, housing starts dropped 4.9% in the first seven months of 2026, despite gains in five 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); Table 34-10-0135-01 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, housing starts, under construction and completions, all areas, quarterly
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