Benjamin Tal: This transition period will lead to better things
CIBC economist says Canada is adding ‘oxygen’ to the economy with major investments in infrastructure Steve McLean Business Writer, Commercial Economy National September 10, 2026 “The situation is not good” is how CIBC Capital Markets managing director and deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal began his speech to open the Canadian Apartment Investment Conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre yesterday morning. “We are trying to make sense of something that does not make...
read moreInsider: The GTA’s Industrial Vacancy Just Hit A Wall
”If you’ve been sitting on a lease expiry hoping for one more quarter of softening before you commit, here’s the uncomfortable part: the conditions that produced two years of tenant leverage are unwinding, and Peel is leading that shift, rather than lagging it.” Guest Author: Harjaap Singh Makkar, Colliers, September 03, 2026 For the better part of two years, the smartest move for a tenant with an industrial lease coming due in the GTA was to do nothing. Every quarter...
read moreCanada now sixth among ‘most rent-entrenched nations’
Forever renters are no longer a niche group, they’re shaping how an entire generation lives, decorates and invests in their homes. Paul Barker Special to Postmedia Network, Published Sep 04, 2026 The renting forever syndrome across Canada is alive, well and showing no signs of diminishing, results of a new global study reveal. Conducted by Australian furniture retailer Luxo Living, the company’s Forever Renter Global Index released last month analyzed housing data from 39 countries that...
read moreThe swing of young families away from Toronto needs to stop
It will take a determined shift in policy, and attitudes, to stop the exodus of families with children from Canada’s biggest city By The Editorial Board, The Globe and Mail, August 30, 2026 In May, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow cut the ribbon on a new building that will deliver 255 rental apartments, 51 of them with below-market rents. It’s a sign of the times that this, the construction of a single midrise building, is seen as a success in a dynamic city of 3.3 million. But it is. Homebuilding in...
read moreTilt to multifamily in Southwestern Ontario is testing traditional residential models
Jim Foote Assistant VP, Commercial Financing, First National Financial LP GUEST SUBMISSION: Purpose-built rental housing has become a dominant form of new housing in Southwestern Ontario, especially in London. The next phase will reward developers who understand local demand, not those who simply add more doors. In 2026, London has become one of Southwestern Ontario’s most important multifamily laboratories, with the London area recording one of its strongest starts for new residential...
read moreFormer Carney adviser, CMHC head named inaugural chair of Build Canada Homes
OTTAWA — Ottawa is appointing a former investment banker and public servant with links to Prime Minister Mark Carney to steer the board of directors at its affordable housing agency. Canadian Press Aug 10, 2026 2:25 PM Aug 10, 2026 OTTAWA — Ottawa is appointing a former investment banker and public servant with links to Prime Minister Mark Carney to steer the board of directors at its affordable housing agency. Build Canada Homes’ inaugural board chair Evan Siddall was CEO of the Canada...
read moreRESCON: Restrictions on foreign home buyers no longer make sense
Three years later, the circumstances that justified the policy on banning foreign home buyers have largely disappeared. Richard Lyall, Published Aug 07, 2026 By any measure, Canada’s housing market in 2026 looks very different from the one that existed when the federal government imposed a ban on foreign homebuyers in 2023. At the time, policymakers were searching for ways to cool an overheated market. Home prices were surging, affordability was deteriorating, and public frustration was...
read moreOpinion: Corporations renting out single-family homes? No problem
Lots of families who can’t afford to buy a house might still want to live in one. Why would anyone want to make that impossible for them? By Peter Shawn Taylor, Special to Financial Post, Published Jul 29, 2026 The Toronto Star and United States President Donald Trump don’t agree on much. That corporations shouldn’t rent out single-family houses is one of those rare things. In 2021, a Toronto condo developer announced plans to buy 4,000 houses and convert them into rental properties as a...
read moreApartment vacancy falls as Canada’s rental market begins to stabilize
National vacancy declined to 4.7% in the second quarter and rent growth slowed, even as prospective tenants continued to face a wide affordability gap. Written by CMT Team Real Estate, July 22, 2026 Canada’s apartment vacancy rate declined in the second quarter for the first time in more than two years, offering an early indication that the rental market may be stabilizing after a prolonged period of softening. The national vacancy rate fell 40 basis points to 4.7% in Q2, ending nine...
read morePopulation shift puts Canada’s rental and condo markets to the test
A sharp drop in temporary residents is reshaping Canada’s rental and condo landscape By Liezel Once, 17 Jul. 2026 Canada’s rental market is undergoing a structural reset, and the implications for mortgage professionals are playing out in real time. A new analysis by BMO Economics lays out the mechanics of a striking reversal: after years of population-driven demand outstripping supply, a deliberate pullback in non-permanent residents is accomplishing what years of supply-side...
read more