Ontario has seen the most housing starts in the last two and half years than it has in the last 30 years, but there’s no reason to celebrate, critics say.

On Sept. 4, Premier Doug Ford wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “As Ontario grows, our government is on a mission to build at least 1.5 million homes. After decades of inaction, we’re seeing real results: 2022 and 2021 had the most housing starts in 30 years. Our work won’t stop.”

According to Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) data, total housing starts in Ontario for 2021 and 2022 were 92,284 and 91,885 respectively, the highest since at least 1990. So far this year, there were 44,000 housing starts in the first and second quarters, slightly above 40,100 during the same period last year.

Still, those numbers are far behind the province’s 150,000 yearly target to reach 1.5 million new homes in a decade. And while the first half of 2023 is above 2022 levels, experts warn the rest of the year will take a hit with construction on new projects declining as the industry faces an acute labour shortage and high interest rates.

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