As someone who’s spent years living, working, and renovating homes across the Cowichan Valley, I keep a close eye on the bigger trends shaping our housing landscape—even when numbers come from right across Canada. Lately, the six-month housing-start trend has slipped by about 1% to 244,000 units nationwide, and in the larger cities, actual starts have eased by roughly 2% to 17,700. Year-to-date, we’re at 149,500 new starts, which is about 4% below last year’s total for the same period. That tells you construction is still trailing behind the push from policymakers calling for more homes.
Even though the national housing agency points out that starts remain higher than in some recent years, they’re expecting the momentum to keep slowing down. Builders are feeling the pinch—not just from rising costs caused by tariffs and the ongoing US-Canada trade disputes, but also from wider uncertainties tied to global events. The projection is for new-home construction to keep declining through 2028, with condominiums especially affected by high developer costs, softer demand, and more inventory on the market.
For those of us who’ve watched the Cowichan Valley grow and shift, these national trends can feel distant, but they do shape what’s possible here at home. Understanding how broader pressures impact local opportunities is a big part of helping people find just the right fit in this unique part of the Island.
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