Ottawa housing starts jump 44.6 per cent in April

OTTAWA — New housing starts jumped 44.6 per cent in April to 506 units as Ottawa developers responded to strong market demand.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said Monday that there was strong activity in all housing classes, led by new apartment projects with single-family units, doubles and rowhousing all gaining.

For the first four months of the year, construction of 1,545 units is running 23 per cent ahead of a year earlier when the global economic crisis frightened buyers and builders.

CMHC market analyst Sandra Pèrez Torres said "The presence of first-time home buyer families continued to be felt as they kept demanding low density, more affordable types of dwellings."

The agency said that construction in Nepean led the region with healthy activity in all regions with the exception of Cumberland.

Across Canada, CMHC said the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was 201,700 units in April, up slightly from a revised 199,200 units in March.

"Higher multiple starts were nearly offset by a decline in single starts and rural area starts in April. As a result, total housing starts edged higher in April," said chief economist Bob Dugan.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts increased by 5.1 per cent to 182,500 units in April. Urban multiple starts increased by 27.2 per cent to 98,600 units, while single urban starts decreased by 12.7 per cent to 83,900 units.

April's seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts increased 16.4 per cent in British Columbia, 6.7 per cent in the Prairie region, 4.5 per cent in Ontario, and 1.1 per cent in Quebec. Urban starts decreased 3.3 per cent in Atlantic Canada..