OTTAWA - Canadian housing starts dipped 2.3% to 220,215 units on a seasonally adjusted average for September, but are still pacing well ahead of last year.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said 17,606 single and multi-family homes were started throughout Canada, up 6.1% from September 2011. Total actural housing starts for the first nine months stand at 146,479 units vs. 127,338 last year, a 15% increase.
“The monthly decrease posted in September was mostly due to a decrease in urban multiples starts," said Mathieu Laberge, Deputy Chief Economist at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. "As expected, the number of multiples starts in Ontario, particularly in Toronto, reverted back to a level more in line with the average pace of activity over the last six months. Following a period of elevated housing starts activity due to strong volumes of multi-family unit pre-sales in 2010 and 2011, the pace of housing starts is expected to moderate.”
| Canada | September 2011 | September 2012 |
|---|---|---|
| Actual, all areas | 18,670 | 19,750 |
| Actual, rural areas | 2,079 | 2,144 |
| Actual, urban centres1 | ||
| September — Single-Detached | 6,263 | 6,159 |
| September — Multiples | 10,328 | 11,447 |
| September — Total | 16,591 | 17,606 |
| January to Sept. — Single-Detached | 49,497 | 50,468 |
| January to September — Multiples | 77,841 | 96,011 |
| January to September — Total | 127,338 | 146,479 |
| August 2012 | September 2012 | |
| SAAR2, all areas | 225,328 | 220,215 |
| SAAR, rural areas | 15,210 | 16,484 |
| SAAR, urban centres1 | ||
| Single-Detached | 68,575 | 67,643 |
| Multiples | 141,543 | 136,088 |
| Total | 210,118 | 203,731 |
| Atlantic region, urban centres | 12,499 | 15,036 |
| Quebec, urban centres | 41,950 | 42,515 |
| Ontario, urban centres | 86,189 | 70,486 |
| Prairie region, urban centres | 41,247 | 48,495 |
| British Columbia, urban centres | 28,233 | 27,199 |
Source: CMHC
1 Urban centres with a population of 10,000 and over.
2 Seasonally Adjusted at Annual Rates
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