According to CMHC, year- to-date, (Jan to March 2026) Greater Victoria has posted 692 new homes, a 12% increase from the 612 last year (Jan to March 2025). That said, CMHC reports only 132 housing starts in March 2026 in Greater Victoria. This is a 64% decline from 366 in March 2025 and a 13% decline from February 2026.
From a national perspective, “CMHC chief economist Mathieu Laberge says the March data points to a continued loss of momentum in housing construction, broadly in line with the agency’s housing market outlook.”
This is the anecdotal information we are also hearing from local builders. VRBA’s Crystal Ball Housing Forecast held January 14, 2026 anticipates a slowdown in 2026, partly due to the highest supply of unsold units in 35 years. For those considering a new home, now is a good time to be talking to builders. Visit VRBA’s Expression of Interest.
CMHC’s March report shows 22 single family homes, 43 row/townhomes/duplexes, etc, and 67 condos/apts. From January to March, there were 55 single family, 140 row/townhomes/duplexes etc, and 497 apt/condos.
One bright spot is row/townhomes/duplex (missing middle) housing up 100% from last year due to Bill 44 – provincial rezoning municipalities to accommodate missing middle housing. Despite protests from some municipalities, it’s clear their zoning bylaws have been responsible for obstructing small density housing suitable for families.
Some municipalities are still using high fees, setbacks, etc to continue to obstruct missing middle housing. The BC govt recently introduced legislation “to prevent local governments from excluding zones where small-scale, multi-unit housing should be allowed or making further restrictions that make it more difficult to build anything other than single-family or duplex housing for communities with more than 5,000 people, and within urban-containment boundaries.”
Saanich Councillors Brice and Brownoff proposed a motion to remove housing targets even though more new homes were built during three years of targets vs the previous six years. VRBA wrote a letter to council opposing their motion, which was subsequently derailed.
Brice and Brownoff also voted to oppose reviewing an industry study on the CRD board, which would have outlined the impact of new DCCs on housing affordability. As members of the CRD board, they voted to add up to $9,044 DCCs to new homes despite a study showing the costs would further slow down new housing.
Of the 132 new homes in March: Saanich – 41, Langford – 28, Colwood – 25, Victoria – 11, Sooke – 8, Sidney – 8, Esquimalt – 6, Central Saanich – 3, Oak Bay – 1, Metchosin – 1. Those with zero housing starts are North Saanich, View Royal, Highlands.
Year to date, of the 692 new homes: Saanich – 195, Langford – 171, Colwood – 143, Victoria – 117, Esquimalt – 15, Oak Bay – 13, Sooke – 13, Sidney – 8, Central Saanich – 5, Metchosin – 4, , North Saanich – 2. Those with zero housing starts in 2026 are View Royal and Highlands.
Most municipalities with low or zero housing starts have anti-housing councils. North Saanich declined to meet with BC’s housing ministry staff to discuss the municipality missing their housing targets and deficiencies in their reports.
Since then, the ministry has appointed a “housing adviser” to address the challenges in the municipality. The same is needed in Sidney and View Royal.
The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs appears to be ignoring some municipalities’ intransigence when it comes to contributing to housing in the community. In addition, the BC govt’s claims to support housing affordability are not credible when they approve DCC bylaw increases of 258% as they did last year in Victoria. As well as the CRD’s recent DCC increase of up to $9,044 per new home.