FIRST READING: Just as predicted, immigration cuts keep yielding lower rents
The Liberals started cutting immigration 24 months ago, and rents have been dropping ever since Author of the article: By Tristin Hopper, Published Oct 09, 2026 Canadian rental prices have almost entirely snapped back from the meteoric highs they hit in the immediate wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the main reasons is that Ottawa is no longer importing record numbers of migrants each year. Newly released figures from Rentals.ca show that the average Canadian asking rent dropped to...
read moreRESCON: True cost of a housing crisis runs deep
The result is not merely economic hardship. It is persistent stress, insecurity and a diminished quality of life. Author of the article: Richard Lyall, Published Oct 09, 2026 The real cost of Canada’s housing crisis can now be measured in something far more important than dollars and cents: the health, stability and well-being of Canadians. Often, the magnitude of the problem is gauged by the price of a home, the cost of renting or number of residential starts. But while these metrics matter,...
read moreDouglas Todd: David Eby has veered to and fro with housing developers
The struggling NDP leader is trying to woo voters by reviving his stand-up-to-big business persona of years ago By Douglas Todd, Published Oct 02, 2026 An early version of NDP Premier David Eby’s persona returned last week when he said only he can be counted on to “stand up to developers.” It represented a big switch from recent years, when his government has been mandating sweeping, provincewide upzoning to allow developers to build faster and cheaper. Only three months ago, critics said Eby...
read moreOlivia Chow makes pitch for 10,000 new rental homes, voices ‘concern’ over potential ballot confusion
By Phil Tsekouras, Published: October 08, 2026 Olivia Chow says she’ll have shovels in the ground on 10,000 new rental homes in 2027 if re-elected. At a campaign announcement Thursday morning, Chow said the pledge builds on the 60 housing projects currently under construction in the city, which will deliver 16,000 rental homes when complete, including thousands of affordable and rent-controlled spaces. “For too many people, a home here is slipping out of reach. That’s not acceptable to me. I...
read moreWEEK OF OCTOBER 12, EVENTS WITH JILLIAN KATZENBACK
Events for the week of October 12, 2026 MAC Awards – ARLA Webinars – RHPNS Women in Industry Luncheon – 2026 Informa Buildings Show – 2026 ACMO – CCI Condo Conference – CREDA CRE8 Summit – ULI Toronto Annual Trends in Real Estate – ULI WLI Executive Academy – 2026 Alberta Buildex Show – CHBA National...
read moreRetailers face tougher search for space as construction drops to 10-year low: JLL
Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press, published Oct. 2, 2026. TORONTO — Store owners might be having a harder time finding rental property as the amount of retail space under construction in major Canadian markets dropped to its lowest level in a decade. Commercial real estate firm JLL says retail construction starts amounted to 1.5 million square feet in the first half of this year. That was down from 2.7 million square feet a year prior and 5.3 million square feet in the first half of 2016....
read moreCollapse of an affordable housing dream
John Lorinc, Toronto, Special to The Globe and Mail, Published October 1, 2026 It was, and may still be, the home-building industry’s version of the chicken-and-egg quandary. When Leith Moore, an architect and infill developer, in 2021 decided to take a run at constructing modular housing, his firm tapped into a stream of small-scale affordable projects backed by governments or non-profits aiming to build quickly. Their “volumetric” components – rooms, effectively – could be built in a...
read moreOffice demand surges, but Canada’s older buildings miss the rebound
A widening split in Canada’s office market carries fresh risks for commercial lenders By Liezel Once, 02 Oct. 2026 Canada’s office market logged a fifth straight quarter of positive demand in the third quarter of 2026. The recovery, however, is concentrating in the country’s best buildings and leaving older stock behind, according to new data from commercial real estate firm CBRE. Net absorption, which measures the change in occupied office space from one quarter to the next,...
read moreRental developers put projects on hold as costs rise, CMHC survey finds
A CMHC survey finds rising costs are prompting developers to delay projects and reduce unit sizes, even as new supply helps ease pressure on rents. Written by CMT Team September 29, 2026 New rental supply is helping cool rents in parts of Canada, but rising development costs are making the next round of projects harder to build, according to a survey commissioned by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Some 72% of respondents said they had paused or cancelled projects in their pipelines in...
read moreWEEK OF OCTOBER 5, EVENTS WITH JILLIAN KATZENBACK
Events for the week of October 5, 2026 MAC Awards – ARLA Webinars – RHPNS Women in Industry Luncheon – 2026 Informa Buildings Show – CCI Race to the AGM – 2026 ACMO – CCI Condo Conference – CREDA Lunch & CREDA CRE8 Summit – ULI Toronto Annual Trends in Real Estate – CHBA National Awards – 2026 Alberta Buildex...
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