New index reveals low purchasing power is continuing to squeeze scores of would-be buyers
Canada's housing crisis is fundamentally an affordability problem, not a supply shortage. That's the takeaway from Turner Drake & Partners' new Residential Market Pressure Index, which offered a stark correction to months of conflicting housing commentary.
The national RMPI score of 49.3 indicated moderate-to-high pressure across Canada. But the index's most damning finding lay in what was driving that stress: affordability.
"Affordability—not demand—is now the dominant source of stress, as rent and ownership burdens remain historically elevated," Turner Drake reported in its Fall 2025 Atlantic Canada Newsletter.
Ontario, at 59.7, retained what the firm described as "the dubious distinction of Canada's most pressured housing market." The province's elevated score underscored how elevated housing costs have outpaced wage growth, leaving would-be buyers and renters increasingly squeezed.
. A new Fraser Institute analysis found that mortgage payments on a typical home now consume more than 50% of median after-tax family income across all 14 of Ontario's largest urban centres, with Toronto reaching an unsustainable 110.2%.https://t.co/xws1CauPHr
— Canadian Mortgage Professional Magazine (@CMPmagazine) November 23, 2025
Turner Drake developed the RMPI to synthesize four components—demand, supply, rent burden, and ownership burden—into a single comparable metric for every province. Scores range from 0 to 100, categorizing markets from low to severe pressure.
"Canada does not have a shortage of housing opinions," said Jigme Choerab, manager of Turner Drake's Economic Intelligence Unit.
"What it lacks is a standardized, evidence-based method to measure stress consistently across provinces. The RMPI fills that gap—with considerably less drama."
Nova Scotia follows at 56.8, where surging rents and supply constraints have compounded affordability challenges.
The province faces "entrenched affordability challenges" that demand serious attention, Turner Drake noted, with renters bearing the heaviest burden.
Lower Atlantic provinces paint a different picture. Prince Edward Island sits at 48.6, while New Brunswick registers 44.1. Newfoundland and Labrador, at 37.6, shows the lowest pressure in Atlantic Canada, with stable affordability and underutilized supply potential.
The index speaks directly to brokers: building more homes won't fix affordability. Clients across Canada face rent and mortgage payments that consume historically high shares of income—and no amount of new housing units addresses that gap.
Meanwhile, two senior government officials recently said that Canada's federal housing push must do more than increase supply. They called for accessibility standards to be built into every new unit constructed under the federal government's Build Canada Homes initiative.
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