Housing supply should be read as a sequence: approvals, permits, starts, units under construction, completions, and absorption. CMHC publishes several of these measures by geography and dwelling type; combining them into one 'homes built' figure can misstate delivery.
Key facts
- CMHC's Starts and Completions Survey reports monthly and cumulative construction measures.
- The data can be separated by province, CMA, census agglomeration, dwelling type, and intended market where available.
- Completed-and-unabsorbed inventory is distinct from units under construction.
The pipeline dictionary
A start generally records when construction has begun; under-construction inventory reflects projects still being built; a completion records construction reaching the survey definition; absorption measures whether new homeowner or condominium supply has been sold.
Why geography matters
Provincial totals can rise while one metropolitan area or dwelling type weakens. Parcel & Key will state the census geography, reference month, cumulative period, dwelling type, and intended tenure beside each chart.
The recurring product
The BC Development Docket will connect municipal approvals to CMHC construction outcomes without claiming that the datasets match project-for-project unless an official identifier supports the connection.
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