TORONTO –  A new report says investment in Canadian commercial real estate is expected to rebound this year, with the volume of property sales rising more than eight per cent.

CBRE’s real estate market outlook forecasts around $56 billion in total investment volume for 2026, including merger and acquisition activity and portfolio deals, up from an estimated $47 billion in 2025.

The report says the office market has stabilized and is moving toward a period of sustained growth after two years of positive net absorption and with the national vacancy rate having peaked.

Canada is also seeing “largely balanced” market fundamentals within the industrial sector, which could face an “inflection point” this year amid a scheduled review of the Canadian-United States-Mexico Agreement in July.

CBRE says preserving the pact is key to stabilizing the industrial market, as the resilience of the Canadian economy in the face of U.S. tariffs has been largely due to carveouts from CUSMA.

The report also highlighted a more “stable” situation for the retail real estate sector compared with a year ago, with major brands expanding into new or previously untapped markets across the country.

(C) The Canadian Press