Nova Scotia must double housing starts to restore pre-COVID affordability: report

01-Aug-2025

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Canada’s national housing agency says the number of annual residential construction starts in Nova Scotia must double for ten years for the market to reach pre-pandemic affordability levels, a target the province says is doable — with multi-level government support.

Lukas Jasmin-Tucci, an economist with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, said Nova Scotia should aim to hit 12,540 housing starts a year until 2035. 

The agency estimates the province is on track this year to hit about 5,450 housing starts, which refer to the beginning of construction on a new home or multi-unit residential building.

“If we compare (Nova Scotia) to other regions, this is one where there’s a great need for new construction,” Jasmin-Tucci said in an interview.