Margo Wynhofen

• Weaker-than-expected performances in 2025Q4 and especially 2026Q1 have prompted a steep downgrade to our forecasts for 2026 annual average Canadian home resales and price growth. While severe weather in Central and Atlantic Canada weighed on activity early in the year, weakness was also evident in B.C., where conditions were more temperate. Sales are likely to take most of the year to recoup first quarter losses, as housing remains constrained by a subdued economy, heightened uncertainty, and ongoing cost of living pressures.
• Interest rates are expected to be a largely neutral factor for the outlook in 2026, with the Bank of Canada likely to remain on hold and no major movements expected in bond yields (which help determine fixed mortgage rates).
• Canada’s population declined last year for the first time since Confederation, driven by losses in Ontario and B.C.. Softer rental demand and falling rents are discouraging investor activity in both provinces. Alberta stands out, with the strongest population growth nationally, supported by immigration. Interprovincial migrants continue to flow into the province, bolstering ownership demand.

The number of home sales recorded over Canadian MLS® Systems was virtually unchanged (-0.1%) on a month-over-month basis in March 2026.

“Home sales activity remained at lower levels in March, as rising global economic uncertainty, along with a mid-month jump in fixed mortgage rates tied to incoming higher inflation, piled on to an already shaky economic start to the year,” said Shaun Cathcart, CREA’s Senior Economist. “2026 is still expected to see a modest amount of upward momentum in sales and a stabilization in prices as some pent-up first-time buyer demand enters the market, but the forecast for the year has had to be revised downward. The timing of higher mortgage rates, along with the perception they may be temporary, could keep would-be buyers away at the most active time of year – April, May, and June – as they wait for rates to come back down.”

March Highlights:

• National home sales were almost unchanged (-0.1%) month-over-month.
• Actual (not seasonally adjusted) monthly activity came in 2.3% below March 2025.
• The number of newly listed properties edged down 0.2% on a month-over-month basis.
• The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) fell 0.4% month-over-month and was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis.
• The actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average sale price was down 0.8% on a year-over-year basis in March 2026.

The provincial budget season is winding down, with just PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador still to table their FY26/27 documents. Here are five themes:

Deep deficits persist: A few provinces are slipping deeper into the red, while a few are moving to slightly shallower shortfalls. As a group, the chunky $40 billion deficit for the fiscal year just ending (FY25/26) will persist in FY26/27, with a combined shortfall of $46.7 billion expected. That’s a manageable 1.4% of GDP, but topped only twice in the past two decades: at the depth of the pandemic, and the depth of the financial crisis.

Certainly uncertain: This year’s budget season acknowledged the wild uncertainty in macroeconomic conditions. But, unlike last year, where every province seemingly took a different approach to setting an economic outlook (assume tariffs, no tariffs, publish different scenarios, etc.), this year was largely based on a ‘normal’ baseline economic outlook and a status quo on trade policy. With that in mind, the group overall has embedded more than $10 billion of contingencies into the FY26/27 fiscal plan, leaving some room for upside if the economy holds up.

Revenue gusher (for some): The two big oil-producing provinces locked in their budgets ahead of the conflict in Iran and associated surge in oil prices. Now, budget assumptions look wildly conservative. Alberta assumed $60.50 for WTI this fiscal year and Saskatchewan assumed $59.80 (Newfoundland & Labrador still to be tabled). At current levels for WTI, the light-heavy differential and the loonie, we could see upwards of $20 billion of revenue upside in those two provinces alone, swinging both well back into surplus.

Debt climbing: The combined provincial net debt-to-GDP ratio is looking to push 32% in FY26/27, which would be a fourth consecutive increase from the post-pandemic lows. Recall that there was meaningful fiscal consolidation during that period when inflation and nominal growth were ripping. Interestingly, debt ratios don’t look any worse than they did a year ago thanks to hefty upward nominal GDP revisions, but the provinces are clearly still open to borrowing. This year’s long-term borrowing program is on pace to run at around $140 billion, just a shade lower than seen over the prior two years and the pandemic high. Indeed, while the combined provincial deficit is running at $47 billion this fiscal year, combined net debt is going to surge by $80 billion, or 2.5% of GDP, which is more reflective of underlying finances. Combined with the federal government, this truer fiscal gap in Canada is closer to 4.5% of GDP.

Policy steady: There were no show-stopping policy changes at the provincial level this budget season. While there were no major tax changes, some provinces nudged taxes higher (e.g., B.C. broadening the PST base and lifting income taxes), while others pushed through some targeted policy (e.g., Ontario expanding the HST rebate on new homes to all buyers). In general, the provinces continue to focus heavily on infrastructure, still catching up to past population growth (hence the hefty borrowing program), while program spending looks to run strong at more than 4% overall. The federal government continues to do more of the stimulus leg work, and that could continue with any new measures announced in the upcoming federal fiscal update.