Regulatory Issues Hold Back Canadian Housing Starts
By: Monte Stewart, May 29, 2026 Regulatory barriers and structural factors have constrained Canada’s housing-supply responsiveness for almost two decades, according to new analysis from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. As result, housing starts have not kept pace with demand, and the roadblocks have contributed to higher home prices, CMHC Chief Economist Mathieu Laberge wrote in the report. CMHC found that if Canada’s housing industry had been as responsive as the U.S. housing...
read moreTownhomes in demand among investors as market shifts
Small supply, stable tenancies underpin investor interest Peter Mitham, May 22, 2026 With observers forecasting a shift in housing demand to units suitable for couples and families as federal immigration caps bite, multi-family investors are showing fresh appetite for townhouse properties in addition to apartment complexes. One of the latest examples is a collection of 536 units in Edmonton held by Boardwalk REIT that commercial brokerage Avison Young (Canada) Inc. brought to market earlier...
read moreReal estate firm plans to turn $500M worth of Toronto condo stock into rentals
Montreal-based Jesta Group looking to acquire more than 1,000 condo units Alina Snisarenko · CBC News · Posted: May 14, 2026 A Montreal-based private equity firm says it’s planning to buy $500 million worth of unsold condo units and turn them into rentals in a bid to “stabilize” the housing market. Jesta Group, a family-owned global real estate firm, announced its entry into the Toronto housing market on Tuesday when it acquired a “bulk condominium portfolio” valued at $30 million located near...
read moreCutsey to Succeed Kenney as CEO of CAPREIT
By: Monte Stewart, May 8, 2026 Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (CAPREIT) has announced that president and CEO Mark Kenney will retire on July 2 and be succeeded by Brad Cutsey. Kenney will also resign from the board, with Cutsey set to join it on the same date. “I have greatly enjoyed the nearly 30 years I have spent with CAPREIT,” said Kenney. “I would like to thank our board and management for their collaboration and partnership throughout my time as CEO. I know...
read moreBank of Canada flags condo glut as new drag on growth
Central bank warned housing slump and tariffs threaten Canada’s fragile recovery By Liezel Once, 01 May 2026 The Bank of Canada held its policy rate at 2.25%, but its April Monetary Policy Report put housing and a buildup of small condos at the centre of a weaker growth story for the next two years. Against a backdrop of US tariffs, trade uncertainty and the war in the Middle East, the central bank said residential real estate has shifted from an engine of expansion to a brake on the wider...
read moreCommercial real estate market at turning point as vacancies drop: report
Back to office momentum is chipping away at oversupply, Colliers says By: Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press, April 20, 2026 Canada’s commercial real estate sector could be at a turning point after the national vacancy rates for both office and industrial properties simultaneously declined for the first time since 2020, a new analysis has found. The report from Colliers International said the national office vacancy rate was 13.6% in the first quarter of 2026, down one percentage point...
read moreProminent Toronto tenant union expands citywide
On April 18, tenants from across the city will gather for the founding convention of the Toronto Tenant Union Gabe Oatley, Apr 6, 2026 A prominent tenant union based in Toronto’s northwestern corner that has helped prevent evictions, halt rent increases and force landlords to complete building repairs is going citywide. On April 18, tenants from across the city will gather for the founding convention of the Toronto Tenant Union — a new, collaborative effort by the York South-Weston Tenant...
read moreCould this be the end of green building standards in Ontario — again?
Premier Doug Ford’s government is taking another swipe at green standards while nixing a requirement for municipalities to build climate change goals into their official plans. By Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press, April 7, 2026 The new changes would roll back municipal enhanced development standards that require developers to improve park access, add tree canopy, install electric vehicle-ready parking spots, apply bird-friendly window coating or implement other mandatory sustainable design...
read moreNew ‘made-in-Mississauga’ bylaw aims to better protect tenants from unlawful ‘renovictions’
By Joanna Lavoie, Published: April 01, 2026 It’ll soon be harder for landlords in Mississauga to “renovict” tenants. On Wednesday, Mississauga City Council approved the new Rental Repairs and Renovations Licensing bylaw. Set to take effect on Sept. 1, the bylaw will impose a slew of requirements on landlords, notably requiring them to obtain a license from the city before evicting tenants for extensive renovations or repairs. The city says it aims to better protect renters from “renovictions,”...
read moreOntario’s 2026 Budget: Turning priorities into policy
Public Affairs and Government Relations|March 26, 2026 This afternoon, Finance Minister Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy tabled Ontario’s 2026 A Plan to Protect Ontario. The $214.5 billion fiscal plan is framed as a response to economic uncertainty driven by tariffs, slowing growth, and declining revenues, while positioning Ontario as a more competitive, resilient, and self-reliant economy. In our pre-budget outlook, we highlighted five key areas to watch: fiscal discipline, economic resilience,...
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