The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that the Canadian Real Estate Association says home sales in August were down compared with a year ago as a fresh round of economic challenges threaten to dampen housing market momentum for the remainder of the year. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe quotes CREA saying home sales last month totalled 37,504, down 6.9 per cent from August, 2025. On a seasonally adjusted basis, activity fell 0.7 per cent compared with July of this year. Over all, sales activity and price trends were largely unchanged for a fourth consecutive month, CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart said in a news release. "What has changed is the broader economic environment, with the Bank of Canada recently warning of rising inflation risks, along with doubts about the durability of recent economic growth," he said. "For borrowers, fixed mortgage rates have already increased on higher bond yields. CREA's home price index, which aims to represent the sale of typical homes, was stable between July and August. The index was down 3 per cent on a year-over-year basis. BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic said the figures describe a "soft" market by historical standards but "not completely tapped out."