In the wake of a report identifying Toronto as Canada’s “epicenter of weakness” for homebuilding, the Ford government is unwilling to say if it can still build 1.5 million new homes by 2031.
The most recent data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation show that roughly halfway through 2025, Ontario is enjoying an even less productive year than it did in 2024, when it fell tens of thousands of units short of its targets.
From January to July this year, Ontario has seen just 33,821 new houses start, a drop of 25 per cent from the numbers it recorded at the same time last year.
The data shows Ontario’s figures are by far the worst in the country.
Starts in Quebec are up 38 per cent year-on-year, while British Columbia is down four per cent. Atlantic Canada is up 16 per cent, and the Prairies have increased by 24 per cent.
A report from the CMHC published this week noted “confidence was especially weak in Ontario and British Columbia,” adding starts on new condos in Toronto had “plummeted,” with presales at their lowest level since 2009.
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“Among Canada’s largest cities, Toronto was the epicenter of weakness for residential construction in the first half of 2025,” the report added. “While all housing types in the region posted annual decreases over this period, the condominium apartment segment — facing ongoing struggles — was the largest drag on activity.”
The Ontario NDP said the government had “thrown in the towel” on housing.
“Families in Toronto and across Ontario are being crushed by the housing crisis while the Ford government has failed on every metric when it comes to increasing housing starts,” NDP MPP Catherine McKenney said.
“We hear Ford say that governments don’t build homes, but they continue to demand that municipalities do the job for them. Then he tells Ontarians that his own experts’ advice to allow for more housing in more places won’t help to increase the number of homes being built.”
Housing Minister Rob Flack recently conceded the outlook was bleak.
“Potential new home buyers have hit the pause button,” he said in August. “We’ve seen the housing market come to a standstill.”
Global News asked Flack’s office if the goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031 — set by the Progressive Conservatives during the 2022 election — was still achievable.
“Our government is accelerating housing development, investing in infrastructure, and giving municipalities the tools they need, and requested, to build more homes,” a spokesperson said in a statement to Global News, pointing out purpose-built rentals have increased this year.
“While we’ve made progress, we face challenges beyond our control — global economic uncertainties, supply chain disruptions, and with President Trump’s tariffs, it is not business as usual.”
The statement, which listed various government funds and legislation, did not say if the goal of 1.5 million homes was still achievable.
“Doug Ford has thrown in the towel when it comes to building homes,” said Ontario NDP MPP Jessica Bell.
“Condo construction is in free fall, rental projects are stalling, and Ontarians are paying the price for Ford’s failures.”
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