Two reports from the Globe and Mail in Canada. "A drop in the number of low-rise houses under construction in the Toronto region has led to job cuts for workers who specialize in home-building trades. The number of detached and semi-detached houses under construction in the Toronto region fell sharply this spring, forcing companies in the home-building sector to cut staffing levels, especially in trades such as framing and bricklaying that feel the earliest impact of a slowdown."

"'We started seeing it a bit at the end of the year last year, but it certainly hit in the spring,' said Richard Lyall, president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario, which represents home construction companies. 'We went from a point where we had a serious shortage of bricklayers to where we didn’t have a bricklaying problem at all, and where we had a surplus of framers.'"

"Pent-up demand helped drive Greater Vancouver housing sales higher last month as buyers on the sidelines took advantage of slumping prices. Greater Vancouver’s residential benchmark price slipped in July to $995,200, down from a record high of $1.1-million in May, 2018, and the lowest since $992,500 in May, 2017, according to the board. The benchmark figure, an industry representation of the typical home sold in the region, has declined month over month for the 14th consecutive time."

"It remains a buyer’s market in Greater Vancouver, with the number of properties listed for sale rising 17.3 per cent over the past year. On Vancouver’s West Side, the benchmark price for detached houses sold in July decreased to $2,895,400, down 13.6 per cent compared with a year earlier. The average price for detached houses sold in the Fraser Valley fell to $967,439 last month, down 11.7 per cent compared with July, 2018."

From Global News. "Vancouver’s west side (13.6 per cent), West Vancouver (12.5 per cent), South Burnaby (12.3 per cent), North Burnaby (11.7 per cent), East Vancouver (11.3 per cent) and East Burnaby (10.8 per cent) all saw double-digit price drops for detached homes."

"On the condo market, there were similar regional variations in annual price changes. West Vancouver (12.2 per cent), South Burnby (10.7 per cent), New Westminster (10.1 per cent) and Vancouver’s west side (9.9 per cent) saw the biggest price drops."

From Pique News Magazine. "A new survey of Re/Max brokers and agents on recreational real estate in Canada signals a cooling off of the Whistler market. The report released last week presents Whistler and Squamish sales in the same category, stating that the median, year-over-year sale prices for recreational sales dropped by nine per cent."

"'If you are sitting somewhere in China or in the States or even in Alberta, you just don't know [what's next],' said Andrey Pavlov, a professor of finance at Simon Fraser University's Beedie School of Business. 'You hear the news that B.C. is now imposing all of these taxes on foreigners and locals and the real estate market isn't doing that well because of [it], and that news is enough to make you take your money elsewhere.'"

From My Comox Valley. "Sales on the mainland were 34.7 percent below the 10-year June sales average. This marks the lowest total for the month since 2000. 'I was visiting the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver and the discussion amongst the professionals is that a large portion of realtors in the Lower Mainland have not done a deal this year, so that’s very interesting,' said Vancouver Island Real Estate Board president-elect Kevin Reid."

From CTV News Saskatoon. "New numbers show more homeowners appear to have trouble making their mortgage payments in Saskatchewan. A report from the province offers stats from the Provincial Mediation Board, which show the number of Notices of Mortgage Foreclosures have jumped from 772 in 2014-2015 to 1,409 in 2018-2019. The numbers include properties involving vendor and third party financing."

"Meanwhile, the Saskatoon Region Home Builders Association (SRHBA) says the mortgage stress test, low interest rates and decreasing prices is benefiting buyers. And there are signs of stability. The organization’s second quarter New Housing Market Analysis report says inventory of new homes over the last year has declined 18 per cent, but still remains high compared to historic levels."

"'The new housing market continues to experience pressure from government policies and with the average price of a home continuing to decline in Saskatoon, it adds yet another layer of pressure onto entrepreneurs in the development and residential construction sector.' Chris Guerette, CEO, Saskatoon & Region Home Builders’ Association says in the report."