Photo: bgilliard from St. Catharines, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0Owners in Forest value their homes 28% below the median of Ontario’s towns
At the 2021 census the median home was worth $500,000, where Ontario’s towns sit at $695,000. Those values come from owners at the 2021 census and predate the prices of the years since. Sale prices aren’t published in Ontario: what owners told the census is the figure to go on for Forest.
Forest’s homes, by two sources
Every figure here is compared within the province, against Ontario’s towns, since each province assesses on its own terms. Ontario still assesses at 2016 values (MPAC’s 1 January 2016 base): a figure to set against other Ontario towns, not against prices.
median, owners’ estimate
- Average
- $587K
- Owners
- 4,165
- Ontario’s towns
- $695K
- The typical Canadian town
- $406K
all residential, MPAC 2016 base
- Ontario’s towns
- $232K
Census 2021 (Statistics Canada); Canadian Housing Statistics Program, tables 46-10-0099 and 46-10-0093; Québec rôle d’évaluation foncière 2026 (MAMH).
On the roll, 92% of Forest’s properties are detached houses
The 2024 assessment roll counts 6,845 homes in Forest: detached houses make 92% of them, condos 1%.
Median assessment by type, 2024 the tick is the median of Ontario’s towns
Canadian Housing Statistics Program, table 46-10-0093 (2024): residential properties on the assessment roll, vacant land left out. The ticks are the median of Ontario’s towns with their own figure; assessments compare within a province only.
Forest’s homes: when they went up and what they are
5,300 occupied homes stood in Forest in 2021, and single-detached houses made up 84% of them. At least half predate 1981.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of Ontario’s towns
Homes by kind
| Forest | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | 4% | 7% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 2% | 5% | 3% |
| Households in core housing need | 6% | 9% | 7% |
Census 2021 (Statistics Canada): occupied private dwellings; core housing need as Statistics Canada defines it. Ticks and columns are medians of the towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more.
Forest permitted 21.1 new homes a year per 1,000, above the 15 of Ontario’s towns
From 2018 to 2023, permits in Forest created 650 homes, about 108 a year. Houses dominate the permits, at 67% in single-unit buildings (Ontario’s towns: 66%).
The busiest year: 2022, with 143 new homes
New homes a year per 1,000 homes
Statistics Canada, tables 46-10-0087 (building permits by census subdivision, 2018–2023: dwelling units created, new construction and conversions) and 34-10-0292 (monthly, metro areas). Per 1,000: units a year over 2019–2023 against occupied homes in 2021.
Forest is cheaper than most of Ontario’s towns: 28% under their $695,000 median
871 of Ontario’s towns (2,500 people or more), by median value at the 2021 census, dearest first.
Census 2021, owners’ estimates; towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, no city as a whole, no reserve.
Lower values near Forest: Watford
The places around Forest at the 2021 census: median and average value, and how many own. Forest has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 15–29 km out.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest | $500K | $587K | 81% | |
| Parkhill | $500K | $570K | 82% | 15.2 |
| Watford | $400K | $458K | 79% | 23.5 |
| Adelaide-Metcalfe | $600K | $644K | 82% | 28.7 |
| Plympton-Wyoming | $500K | $597K | 88% | 28.9 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in Forest
Is Forest expensive for Ontario?
On census values, Forest sits among the cheaper of Ontario’s towns (median $695,000).
How many households in Forest are in core housing need?
Statistics Canada puts 6% of Forest’s households in core housing need, a smaller share than the 9% of Ontario’s towns.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · Statistics Canada, Canadian Housing Statistics Program · Statistics Canada, building permits (tables 46-10-0087 and 34-10-0292). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).