Canadian Employment (October 2025) – November 7, 2025

Canadian employment increased by 0.3 per cent from the previous month, with the economy gaining 67,000 jobs to 21.082 million in October. The employment rate rose by 0.2 points to 60.8 per cent, while the unemployment rate dropped by 0.2 points to 6.9 per cent. Average hourly wages rose 3.5 per cent year-over-year to $37.06 last month.
           
Employment in B.C. fell by 0.1 per cent to 2.942 million, with the provincial economy losing 2,900 jobs in October. Employment in Metro Vancouver decreased by 0.3 per cent to 1.687 million. The unemployment rate in B.C. increased by 0.2 points to 6.6 per cent in October. Meanwhile, Vancouver's unemployment rate rose by 0.1 points to 6.3 per cent in October. 

October’s jobs report marks two consecutive months of employment growth that offset similar sized job losses during the summer. Job growth was driven by gains in private sector employment, the first private sector job growth since June. This report will likely further solidify the Bank of Canada's resolve that further rate cuts are not needed at this time, leading to a hold at their December meeting. 

A Strong Finish to 2025 Sets Up a Brighter 2026 for

the BC Housing Market 

BCREA 2025 Fourth Quarter Housing Forecast

Vancouver, BC – November 6, 2025. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) released its 2025 Fourth Quarter Housing Forecast today.

Multiple Listing Service^® (MLS^®) residential sales in BC are forecast to fall 2.7 per cent to 72,435 units this year. In 2026, MLS^® residential sales are forecast to move higher, rising 12.8 per cent to 81,700 units. 

“After lofty expectations heading into the year, both the 2025 economy and housing market have disappointed,” said BCREA Chief Economist Brendon Ogmundson. “However, with tariff uncertainty lingering but far less prominent, we expect a strong hand-off to 2026 as activity closes out 2025 on an upswing.”

With active listings running near what we consider a healthy long-term level – about 45,000 homes for sale across the province – markets are expected to be balanced in 2026, with limited price growth. We anticipate the average price in BC will rise roughly four per cent in 2026 to $995,600, up from $957,700 in 2025. This increase will largely reflect composition effects, as the sales recovery in higher-priced markets in the Lower Mainland catches up to the rest of the province. 

To view the full interactive BCREA Housing Forecast, click here.

To view the BCREA Housing Forecast PDF, click here.

For the complete news release, including detailed statistics, click here.

Gratitude is more than a warm, fuzzy feeling; it’s a biological boost to your brain and body.

Studies using fMRI scans have shown that practicing gratitude activates the brain’s medial prefrontal cortex, which is the region associated with emotional regulation and moral cognition.

Remarkably, this activation can persist for weeks after a gratitude practice ends, which suggests lasting effects on the brain’s wiring.

 

But the benefits don’t stop at the neurological level. According to a 2021 article from Harvard Health Publishing, consistent expressions of gratitude are linked to improved sleep, reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, and stronger social bonds. In other words, regularly reflecting on what you’re thankful for isn’t just nice; it’s neuroscience-backed self-care.

And here’s the kicker: you don’t have to write a novel or maintain a daily journal. Even simple habits, such as texting a friend “thinking of you today” or jotting down three things that went right this week, can help rewire your brain for greater resilience, joy, and connection.

Let’s be honest: Your personality definitely pairs with dessert.

Aries (March 21–April 19): Spicy Pumpkin Pie

Bold and classic but never boring. You bring the heat and aren't afraid of a little nutmeg with attitude.

Taurus (April 20–May 20): French Silk Pie

Luxurious, rich, and unapologetically indulgent. You’re here for second helpings and soft blankets.

Gemini (May 21–June 20): Banoffee Pie

Slightly chaotic, somewhat charming, and somehow both banana and toffee. People don’t always get it, but they always come back for more.

Cancer (June 21–July 22): Apple Crumble Pie Warm, soft-centered, and full of comfort. You bring emotional depth and the best leftovers.

Leo (July 23–Aug. 22): Key Lime Pie

Bright, dramatic, and hard to ignore. You’re a zesty spotlight-stealer with flair and just the right amount of tart.

Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22): Pecan Pie (with a perfect lattice crust)

Classic with a technical twist. You’re detail-oriented, deeply dependable, and secretly sweet beneath that organized exterior.

Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22): Cherry Pie

Balanced, beautiful, and slightly messy but in a charming and poetic way. You bring the aesthetics and the emotional depth.

Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21): Dark Chocolate Chess Pie

Mysterious, intense, and not for the faint of heart. You’re unforgettable and maybe even dangerous.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21): Sweet Potato Pie With Toasted Marshmallows

Adventurous, warm, and slightly unexpected. You tell stories, make people laugh and light the top on fire (in a good way).

Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19): Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Pie

Steady, underrated, and surprisingly delightful. You don’t need flash to be iconic; you need only a solid crust and a legacy.

Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18): Matcha Custard Pie

Unexpected, innovative, and totally different than whatever everyone else brought. You probably made it yourself, too.

Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20): Lemon Meringue Pie

Soft, soulful, and layered. You dream in whipped peaks and golden edges, and you bring feelings to the table, whether or not anyone is ready.

A little dramatic, highly photogenic, surprisingly easy and, yes, totally guilt-free.

This recipe is naturally sweet, caramelized, and packed with nutrients and turns humble carrots into a showstopper. It feels like a main character instead of a side, contains no refined sugars or heavy cream and is packed with bright flavor and texture.

Ingredients

6 large carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt, pepper, and cumin to taste

Zest of 1 lemon + juice of half

1 small garlic clove, grated

½ cup chopped pistachios

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or dairy-free alternative)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or parsley

Optional: a drizzle of pomegranate molasses or honey

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss carrots with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a pinch of cumin.

Roast cut-side down on a sheet pan for 25–30 minutes until deeply golden and the edges begin to char.

While the carrots roast, whisk the yogurt with lemon zest, lemon juice, grated garlic, and a pinch of salt. Toast the pistachios in a dry pan for a minute or two until fragrant. Let them cool and then toss in the herbs.

Spoon the yogurt onto a platter, top with the roasted carrots, and scatter the pistachio mixture on top. Finish with a light drizzle of pomegranate molasses or honey if you like a sweet contrast.

Why It Works

This dish feels fancy without trying too hard. It’s simultaneously earthy, creamy, crunchy, and fresh. And it brings color and personality to a Thanksgiving table that’s otherwise a sea of beige.

The contents in someone’s freezer tell a lot about that person.

Not the fridge, which is performative. That’s where we keep the oat milk and the lettuce. But the freezer? That’s where the real story lives.

Open a drawer, sneak a peek, and see if you recognize yourself in any of these:

The Soup Archivist

Your freezer is a neatly stacked museum of well- labeled quart containers—chili from last month, lentil stew from 2022 or a lone miso broth you forgot to date but refuse to throw away. You believe in the future you: organized, aspirational, and possibly running a small soup-subscription business without realizing it.

The Snack Opportunist

There’s a half-eaten pint of ice cream, a tube of frozen cookie dough, and a family-size bag of pizza rolls, even though no children live in your home. You are prepared for cravings, unexpected guests, and emotional plot twists. You believe joy should always be within arm’s reach.

The Frozen Mystery Collector

You have foil-wrapped objects you no longer recognize, three bags of peas that predate the internet, and something labeled “open at your own risk.” You are sentimental and a little chaotic, and you’ve definitely said, “It’s still good” about something that absolutely was not. You live on hope and strong stomach enzymes.

The Minimalist (aka The Ice Tray Only Club)

Only a single ice tray fills your freezer, and maybe a bag of frozen spinach you forgot about. You travel light. You are efficient. You probably get your steps in. You will survive an apocalypse by sheer discipline alone.

The Wild Card

You have frozen banana peels for composting, one Cornish game hen, three boxes of popsicles, and an emergency frozen pizza. No one knows what you’re up to, and, honestly, we love that about you.

No right or wrong way exists to stock a freezer. But if yours is overdue for a mystery cleanout, then now is a great time. Who knows? You might rediscover that soup from last winter—and the version of you who made it.

The things that stay with us aren’t usually the expensive ones. Instead, it’s the chipped mug we keep reaching for even with nicer ones in the cupboard, the scarf tucked in a drawer for a decade but never donated, the recipe card written in someone’s hand, the makeshift bookmark, or the box of old keys whose locks we’ve long forgotten but still can’t throw away.

A certain intimacy exists in the things we keep. They don’t always make sense to anyone else and maybe they don’t need to. They’re not about style or status or practicality; they’re about memory, about story, about a feeling we weren’t ready to forget.

Sometimes, we hold on to things because they anchor us to a version of ourselves that we don’t want to lose. Other times, it’s about someone else—a moment, a season, or a chapter we closed gently but not entirely.

As the end of the year inches closer and everything around us leans into the themes of clearing out and starting fresh, maybe this is your permission to keep a few things without explanation. Not everything has to be useful. Some things are just allowed to be loved.

Whether it’s a drawer full of mystery items or a sweater that’s three sizes too big, if it still makes you feel something, then maybe that’s enough.

Vancouver, BC – November 3, 2025. November is Radon Action Month, and the BC Real Estate Association (BCREA), BC Lung Foundation, and Real Estate Foundation of BC are teaming up to urge the public to test their homes for radon gas.

Despite a traditionally low level of public awareness, radon is a threat to homeowners and their families across British Columbia. Exposure to the colourless, odourless radioactive gas is the second-highest cause of lung cancer in Canadians after smoking, estimated to cause over 3,000 lung cancer deaths in the country each year.

Running for the second straight year, this joint public awareness campaign aims to direct British Columbians to a landing page, RadonKills.ca/BC, where they can find crucial information about this “silent killer,” including how to test for and remediate high levels of radon in their homes.

“Radon is a risk that’s not going away,” said BCREA CEO Trevor Koot. “The threat is real, and the only way to know if your home has high radon levels is to test.”

While homes with elevated radon levels can be found across Canada, the BC Interior has some of the highest residential radon levels in the country, making the location of this awareness campaign particularly important. The timing is also important because radon levels are highest in homes during the heating season between October and April.

“Testing your home for radon can make all the difference in keeping you and your family safe. As the second leading cause of lung cancer, awareness of radon is so important, especially for areas in our province at greater risk,” said BC Lung Foundation President & CEO Christopher Lam.

To spread the word about how British Columbians can protect themselves and their families, the public awareness campaign will place ads on radio, TV, and social media throughout the province, and roadside billboards in Chilliwack, Kamloops, and Kelowna.

BCREA, the BC Lung Foundation, and the Real Estate Foundation of BC encourage all British Columbians to educate themselves and test for radon. Check out RadonKills.ca/BC for more information.

The recent Cowichan Tribes v. Canada (AG) (2025 BCSC) court decision has prompted significant discussion in BC and across Canada. Some of that discussion has been healthy and respectful, but a large amount of it has been rhetoric and misinformation. The BC Real Estate Association (BCREA) wants to ground our participation in the conversation on one thing: continued trust and confidence in the Torrens system.

BCREA has developed a discussion paper that frames our perspective: Trust as the Foundation of Property Ownership: The Future of Fee-Simple Title and the Torrens System in British Columbia.

This is not a position on the court’s decision, Aboriginal title claim, or the many discussions and decisions that are yet to come in this regard. Rather, it is information and research that can support our efforts and help focus our voice on maintaining trust and confidence, a fundamental aspect of the property title registry system.

We’re sharing this discussion paper today so you can see and understand what is informing our contribution to the conversation. I invite respectful, constructive feedback sent directly to me at tkoot@bcrea.bc.ca. 

The Cowichan Tribes v. Canada court decision has created uncertainty across BC’s real estate sector. In a new video, BCREA CEO Trevor Koot provides context and clarity on the steps BCREA is taking, and shares insight for REALTORS^® during this evolving time. 

Watch the Video

Read the Discussion Paper

About BCREA’s Housing Monitor Dashboard

The BCREA Economics team has created the Housing Monitor Dashboard to help REALTORS^® monitor BC’s housing market. This dashboard, which is updated monthly, provides up-to-date data on key variables for public education and use. Focuses include:

• Resale Home Market
• Construction
• Rental Market
• Borrowing Costs
• Other BCREA Data

In the dashboard, the image and data are available for download under each chart, where possible.

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani