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Cranes are on the rise across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), according to the UTPro data service. The number of cranes on real estate development projects rose slightly compared to the previous quarter, at least temporarily halting the trend of the last while.
As of July 1, 2025, there are 272 active tower cranes across the GTHA. This marks an increase of 5 cranes from the 267 recorded on April 1, bucking five straight quarters of downward trending crane activity.
The City of Toronto itself retains its top spot in the GTHA with 151 cranes, despite its net decline of only 3 cranes from last quarter. In the meantime though, Peel, Halton, and York regions collectively host 35, 33, and 29 cranes, respectively, each with an increase from the previous quarter that more than offset Toronto's dip. Durham and Hamilton round out the remainder with 10 and 12 cranes, a net gain of one crane.
Comparing this to our previous quarter’s data, where we noted a gentle retreat in the number of cranes in the skyline, it remains too early to declare that the decline in cranes has bottomed out. While a new federal government, new international trade negotiations, and other macroeconomic factors have affected the economy to degrees over the last three months, the number of cranes in the sky at any time reflects financing conditions from several months ago or even years prior, owing to the lead time required to get a building constructed.
Much of the worst of the economic uncertainty may be behind us, although tariff talks continue to add uncertainty. Despite that, interest rate forecasts are trending down, and the federal and provincial governments seem supportive of new growth in the housing market. If these trends hold, and at the moment there’s little reason to expect that they won’t, they may provide the stable footing needed to lift the industry out of its slump.
We'll be back again in October with the next update on the quarterly crane count. In the meantime, you can always keep-up-date on the situation though our crane thread where you can track the cranes at every project in the GTHA.
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UrbanToronto research and data service, UrbanToronto Pro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
