Housing starts are up eight per cent in the City of Ottawa this year, with construction being driven by new single-family homes. New data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation show construction has begun on 7,254 homes in Ottawa through the first eight months of the year, up from 6,694 housing starts during the January-August period in 2025. Construction began on 1.176 new single-family homes in Ottawa in the January-August period, up 40 per cent from the same period last year. Construction also began on 6,078 new apartments, townhouses and condos through the first eight months of 2026, up from 5,856 starts in the January-August period in 2025. According to the data, construction was underway on 17,905 homes in Ottawa in August, up from 17,272 homes under construction last year. A total of 4,087 homes have been approved and are awaiting construction in Ottawa. In Gatineau, construction began on 1,963 homes and condos during the first eight months of the year, up from 1,722 homes under construction during the same period last year. Housing starts are down 53 per cent in Kingston so far this year, with 399 homes beginning construction in the January-August period.
