CMHC reports Greater Victoria’s 2,920 housing starts from January to July 2025 are 29% higher than the 2,259 starts in 2024. The vast majority are condo/apts representing 83% of new housing – mostly projects that were in the hopper a year, two-or-more ago. Despite the increase in starts, construction costs continue to be enormously high due to govt costs like DCC’s, ACC’s, permit fees, regulatory hurdles and slow approval processes.
New single family homes at 158 are down 5%. Duplexes/row housing are up 77% over last year.
Year-to-date, Langford leads in new home construction at 1,066 units followed by Victoria 594, Saanich 571, Colwood 344, Sooke 143, Esquimalt 95, Oak Bay 45, Central Saanich 17, Sidney 12, North Saanich 11, View Royal 2, Highlands 1, Metchosin 0.
Presently 48% of the CRD’s new housing is in two West Shore communities – Langford and Colwood. Langford also has the largest number of new single family, semi-detached and row units (duplexes, townhomes also known as missing middle), followed by Colwood.
Municipalities clearly not pulling their weight are View Royal, Metchosin, Highlands, North Saanich, Central Saanich, Sidney. Most have anti-housing councils and North Saanich declined to meet with BC’s housing ministry staff to discuss the municipality missing their housing targets and deficiencies in their reports.