Canadian Housing In 2025: The Good, The Bad And The Hopeful

By
Rosemary Foulds
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sketch of storey and a half four bedroom house with floor plans and written description of the design
The Brunswick - Aladdin Readi-Cut Homes, 1920 photo by Unknown is licensed under the Public Domain
This housing plan, which was introduced in 1920, has been built in many communities across Canada. Today these homes sell at eye-watering prices that lead many people to think they will never own a home.

For many of us in Canada, housing is an intensely personal experience. We’re aware of a housing crisis. We’re not happy about it, and we want homelessness to end1

At the same time, we’re busy and there’s precious little time to make sense of what is going on beyond our personal experience. It would be helpful to know what would actually make a difference. It certainly doesn’t make sense to send public money in a direction that won’t help.

One potentially useful analysis comes from Steve Pomeroy, who has spents years analysing and writing about Canada’s housing market2. He has a gift for talking about the complexity of Canada’s housing crisis in a way where we can see ourselves and all of our neighbours.

Pomeroy recently published a forecast of housing trends in Canada in 2025. He identifies three groups of people for whom the housing crisis is top of mind:

    • People who want to buy their first home, and their friends and family
    • People who are paying an excessive amount of income for their housing and
    • People who are homeless

Pomeroy expects a modest improvement in the market for people who are planning to buy their first home. His priority for public spending emphasizes preventing and ending homelessness.

For Canadian residents, regardless of whether they are in one of the affected groups, it’s helpful to understand how the market and public funding will affect the housing situation for people who are struggling. Pomeroy’s article will be of interest to readers outside Canada who are looking for examples of analysis that is clear and readable.

Read more at CHEC: CHEC Housing Outlook for 2025

Footnotes

  1. Canadians’ views about housing and homelessness are discussed in this survey from Abacus: 67% of Canadians Recognize Homelessness as a Housing Issue Needing Immediate Action.
  2. Mr. Pomeroy is currently Executive Advisor and Industry professor at Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative at McMaster University