April Housing Starts in New Brunswick

MONCTON, NB, May 10 /CNW/ - Residential construction in New Brunswick's urban centres was up in April according to figures released today by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Preliminary data(1) indicate that a total of 167 starts were recorded during the month compared to 162 starts for the same period in 2009.

"The overall increase observed in April was the result of a 60 per cent increase in single starts in provincial urban centres," said Claude Gautreau, CMHC's senior market analyst for New Brunswick. During the month of April, 80 single starts were recorded in provincial urban centres, compared to 50 units last year. Year-to-date, single starts were up 26 per cent to 191 units.

A total of 87 multiple starts were recorded in April, down from 112 units during the same month last year. On a year-to-date basis, multiple starts were stable, with a three per cent increase to 276 units. "Strong multiple unit activity in Moncton has been offset by declines in both Fredericton and Saint John during the early part of 2010," continued Gautreau.

In urban centres across Canada, total housing starts recorded in April were up 79 per cent to 14,995 units compared to last year's total of 8,387. Single-detached starts increased 79 per cent, rising to 6,774 units from 3,788 units, while multiple starts were also up 79 per cent to 8,221 units this year. In the Atlantic region, 573 new units were started in April 2010 compared to 419 units during the same period in 2009.

As Canada's national housing agency, CMHC draws on more than 60 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable and affordable homes. CMHC also provides reliable, impartial and up-to-date housing market reports, analysis and knowledge to support and assist consumers and the housing industry in making vital decisions.

    
    (1) Figures for the most recent month are preliminary and subject to
        revisions due to corrections or updates from quarterly enumeration or
        sampling results.
    

For more information, visit www.cmhc.ca or call 1 800 668-2642.

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                   PRELIMINARY URBAN MONTHLY HOUSING STARTS
                            NEW BRUNSWICK SUMMARY
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                      2010    2009                   YEAR-TO-DATE
                     --------------  % Change       --------------  % Change
                       APR     APR                   2010    2009
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             ALL URBAN CENTRES WITH POPULATIONS GREATER THAN 50,000
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    SAINT JOHN CMA
    Single              29      23       26.1%         64      63        1.6%
    Multiple             2       9      -77.8%         74     132      -43.9%
    TOTAL               31      32       -3.1%        138     195      -29.2%
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    MONCTON CMA
    Single              21      10        (XX)         58      32       81.3%
    Multiple            67      24        (XX)        134      56        (XX)
    TOTAL               88      34        (XX)        192      88        (XX)
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    FREDERICTON CA
    Single              22      11        (XX)         57      41       39.0%
    Multiple            18      71      -74.6%         66      73       -9.6%
    TOTAL               40      82      -51.2%        123     114        7.9%
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    ALL URBAN CENTRES WITH POPULATION (greater than)10,000*
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    ALL CENTRES
    Single              80      50       60.0%        191     152       25.7%
    Multiple            87     112      -22.3%        276     269        2.6%
    TOTAL              167     162        3.1%        467     421       10.9%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Figures for the most recent month are preliminary and subject to
    revisions due to corrections or updates from quarterly enumeration or
    sampling results.

    * Includes all centres with a total population of more than 10,000
    (Saint John CMA, Moncton CMA, Fredericton CA, Bathurst CA, Campbellton
    CA, Edmundston CA, and Miramichi City).

    (XX) Indicates changes in excess of 100% which are not reported due to
    volatility resulting from small absolute numbers.
    

For further information: Claude Gautreau, CMHC Market Analysis Centre, [phone], Cell: [phone], [email protected]