OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 8, 2017) - Housing starts are now on pace to hit 204,669 units in Canada, whereas January saw them hitting 200,255 units, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). This trend measure is a six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) of housing starts.
"This winter has seen Canada's national housing starts trend upward, supported mostly by increased construction of homes in Ontario," said Bob Dugan, CMHC Chief Economist. "New single-detached home construction in Ontario is reaching levels not seen in the province since July 2008 - offsetting recent slowdowns in British Columbia."
Monthly Highlights
CMHC uses the trend measure as a complement to the monthly SAAR of housing starts to account for considerable swings in monthly estimates and obtain a more complete picture of Canada's housing market. In some situations analyzing only SAAR data can be misleading, as they are largely driven by the multi-unit segment of the market which can vary significantly from one month to the next.
The standalone monthly SAAR of housing starts for all areas in Canada was 210,207 units in February, up from 208,934 units in January. The SAAR of urban starts increased by 0.9 per cent in February to 193,035 units. Multiple urban starts decreased by 4.7 per cent to 121,164 units in February, while single-detached urban starts increased by 12.1 per cent, to 71,871 units.
Rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 17,172 units.
Preliminary Housing Starts data is also available in English and French through our website and through CMHC's Housing Market Information Portal. Our analysts are also available to provide further insight into their respective markets.
As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers objective housing research and information to Canadian governments, consumers and the housing industry.
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Additional data is available upon request.
To view the graph and tables associated with this release, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1088149E_Link.pdf
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