This is a list of the tallest buildings in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. As of December 2017 there are a total of 133 completed and under construction buildings in Canada with an official height of or more.
Greater Toronto
The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...
has 86 (
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
83 (including the eight tallest buildings in Canada),
Mississauga
Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...
has 3),
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
has 19,
Metro Vancouver
The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as one of the 28 ...
has 14 (
Burnaby
Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...
7,
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
6, Surrey 1),
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
has 11,
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
has 2 (including the tallest outside Toronto), and
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...
has 1.
Five of Canada's ten
largest cities enforce
height restriction laws
Height restriction laws are laws that restrict the maximum height of structures.
There are a variety of reasons for these measures. Some restrictions limit the height of new buildings so as not to block views of an older work decreed to be an impo ...
. In
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, skyscrapers could not be built above the height of the
Peace Tower
The Peace Tower (french: link=no, Tour de la Paix) is a focal bell and clock tower sitting on the central axis of the Centre Block of the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. The present incarnation replaced the Victoria Tower af ...
until the late 1970s, when the restriction was changed so that no building could overwhelm the skyline. In Montreal, skyscrapers cannot be built above the elevation of
Mount Royal
Mount Royal (french: link=no, Mont Royal, ) is a large intrusive rock hill or small mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The best-known hypothesis for the origin of the name Montreal is the hi ...
. The City of Vancouver has enacted "view corridors" which limit the height of buildings in most areas of downtown. The City of
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
had an elevation restriction, approximately above downtown, due to the proximity of the
city centre airport, until it closed in November 2013.
This list does not include towers, including the
CN Tower
The CN Tower (french: Tour CN) is a concrete communications and observation tower in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Built on the former Railway Lands, it was completed in 1976. Its name "CN" referred to Canadian National, the railway c ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, as they are not technically considered to be buildings.
Tallest buildings in Canada
Buildings are ranked according to their height to architectural top, as provided by the
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is an international body in the field of tall buildings and sustainable urban design. A non-profit organization based at the Monroe Building in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States ...
(CTBUH). Click a column header to sort the table in a different way. All sources are up to date as of April 2013. To qualify for this table, a building must be quoted by a reliable source as having an official height of more than 150 metres.
:
* Denotes project still under construction.
:
+ Denotes project still under construction, but topped off.
Tallest demolished buildings in Canada
This table lists buildings in Canada that were demolished or destroyed and at one time stood at least in height.
Timeline of the tallest buildings in Canada
In the 20th century, only three cities have been the site of each sequential tallest building in Canada –
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
,
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, and
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
.
Tallest building by city
This list ranks Canadian cities with buildings that stand at least 50 m (164 ft) tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts.
:* Denotes project still under construction.
:** Denotes city with height restrictions in effect.
Number of tall buildings by city
This list includes cities with at least five completed high rise buildings over 100 metres high.
See also
*
List of tallest structures in Canada
This is a list of the tallest one hundred structures in Canada, measured from the base to the tallest point. Which may be the roof top, antenna (radio), antenna, spire, Radio masts and towers, mast or as in the case with smokestacks and bridges, t ...
*
List of oldest buildings in Canada
This is a list of the oldest surviving buildings and structures of significance in each province and territory of Canada.
Alberta
First Nations peoples in Alberta were generally nomadic and did not create permanent structures, however they did ...
*
*
List of tallest buildings in North America
This list of the tallest buildings in North America ranks skyscrapers in order by height. The United States is considered the birthplace of the skyscraper, with the world's first skyscraper built in Chicago in 1885. Since then, the United States h ...
References
{{use mdy dates, date=March 2013
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...