Canadian housing starts fell by 4.0k (-1.6%) to 246.2k units in March at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate (SAAR). Comparing year-over-year, starts were down from March of 2021 (-25.4% y/y). Single-detached housing starts rose 7.1% to 83.9k, while multi-family and others declined 5.6% to 162.3k (SAAR). In British Columbia, starts were down 6.7% in March, falling to 32.6k units SAAR in all areas of the province. In areas in the province with 10,000 or more residents, single-detached starts rose 4.7% m/m to 8.1k units while multi-family starts declined 11.7% to 20.6k units. Starts in the province were 54.1% below the levels from March 2021. Starts were down by 2.9k units in Vancouver, 3.6k in Victoria, and 0.4k in Abbotsford, but rose 1.5k in Kelowna from last month. The 6-month moving average trend declined 1.5% to 39.6k in BC in March.
SOURCE: BCREA
