Douglas Todd: Vancouver’s ‘bait and switch’ on below-market housing (Part two)
The city has allowed dozens of rental building projects to backtrack on their earlier below-market commitments. Here’s how some happened. By Douglas Todd, Published Aug 01, 2026 The City of Vancouver’s reversal on its affordable-housing rules has been called a “bait and switch.” The term refers to a deceptive tactic where an organization “baits” clients with an attractive offer, but then “switches” it for a lower-quality option after it is too late for clients to withdraw from the...
read moreCommercial real estate sector stabilizing, Avison Young report finds
Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press Jul 23, 2026 TORONTO — Commercial real estate company Avison Young says the sector is showing signs of stability across Canada at the midway point of the year as enthusiasm tempers, but new tariffs announced by the U.S. this week could be factor to watch. The firm’s Canadian mid-year outlook said the commercial real estate market is showing signs of momentum, however sentiment has eased somewhat since its last forecast in December. The report was based on...
read moreMinto Apartment REIT’s $2.3B Go-Private Deal Receives CMHC, Lenders’ Approvals
By: Monte Stewart, July 16, 2026 Minto Apartment REIT’s proposed $2.3-billion go-private deal through a joint-venture with Crestpoint Real Estate Investments has received critical approval from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and certain lenders. The approvals were required before the deal can close. The Ottawa-based REIT announced Thursday that the transaction, to be completed under a standard plan of arrangement in accordance with Ontario law, will close on or about August 7....
read moreCanadian commercial real estate shows strengthening fundamentals as office and industrial vacancy continue to decline – Colliers Q2 2026 National Snapshot
News provided by Colliers Macaulay Nicolls Inc., Brokerage Jul 08, 2026, 07:30 ET Office vacancy falls for a fourth consecutive quarter while industrial vacancy tightens for a second straight quarter, reinforcing a gradual return to market equilibrium. TORONTO, July 8, 2026 /CNW/ – Colliers Canada released its Q2 2026 National Market Snapshot, revealing strengthening fundamentals across Canada’s commercial real estate market. National office vacancy declined to 13.4%, marking its...
read moreVancouver industrial space driven by large-format users in Q2
Peter Mitham, Jun 30, 2026 3:30 PM Vancouver’s industrial market is seeing strong demand for a limited supply of large-format space, with Grosvenor Canada signing its largest-ever lease on Annacis Island. S&S Activewear Canada Inc., a distributor of branded merchandise, has leased Millennium 6, a 162,650-square-foot warehouse at 1005 Derwent Way built in 2014. Previously occupied by two tenants, the property will now have a single tenant in S&S. The deal more than doubles S&S’s...
read moreEconomists slash Canada’s 2026 growth outlook after recession talk
A surprise economic slump to start the year prompted forecasters to slash their expectations for Canada’s growth for 2026. By Erik Hertzberg and Dana Morgan, June 26, 2026 (Bloomberg) — A surprise economic slump to start the year prompted forecasters to slash their expectations for Canada’s growth for 2026. Economists in a Bloomberg survey now see Canada’s economy expanding just 0.7% this year after shrinking in the first quarter. If it comes to pass, it would be the weakest yearly pace of...
read morePopulation decline puts Canada’s housing demand on a slow burn
StatCan data confirm a third straight quarterly decline, with more losses forecast through 2027 By Liezel Once, 17 Jun. 2026 Canada’s population contracted for the third consecutive quarter in early 2026, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday. That extends a historic demographic reversal that is reshaping the housing demand outlook and prompting fresh questions about where mortgage volumes are headed. The agency placed Canada’s population at 41,417,056 on April 1, down 55,025 people...
read moreEdmonton just achieved its highest-ever housing affordability ranking
Allison Stephen, Jun 11 2026 Edmonton is Canada’s most affordable major housing market and achieved the highest affordability ranking ever recorded for a non-U.S. market, according to the 2026 Demographia International Housing Affordability report. The report, published by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, examined 96 major housing markets across eight countries using the median multiple measure, which compares median house prices with median household incomes. The report classifies...
read moreOntario’s frozen property taxes are disconnecting from the CRE market
Commercial property owners have been overtaxed for a decade Paul Sullivan, June 6, 2026 GUEST SUBMISSION: Ontario’s property assessment freeze began as a temporary pandemic-era measure intended to provide stability during a period of unprecedented economic uncertainty. Six years later, that temporary pause has effectively become government policy, despite a commercial real estate market that looks nothing like it did when assessments were last updated. Today, Ontario commercial property...
read moreCMHC multi-unit insurance jumps 30% as securitization volumes rise
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation insured 71,733 multi-unit residential units in Q1, far outpacing traditional homeowner insurance as its securitization activity also climbed. Written by CMT Team, May 29, 2026 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation saw a sharp increase in multi-unit mortgage insurance activity in the first quarter, with volumes far outpacing transactional homeowner insurance as the agency continued to expand its role in rental housing finance. CMHC insured 71,733...
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