Housing projects losing ground in Durham Region

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A recent report from the Region of Durham outlining building activity in the region in 2025 was not encouraging for those in the housing market. The final paragraph of the report reads: "Notwithstanding the increase in building permits issued, there was a 32.4 per cent decrease in the number of housing starts, from 3,980 in 2024 to 2,689 in 2025. At the same time, completions decreased by 25.1% from 4,989 to 3,739."

At Monday morning’s council meeting, Mayor Dave Barton said his fellow mayors in the region are all concerned with the drop in starts.

"We need to get the starts going," he said.