OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 05/08/12 -- The seasonally adjusted annual rate(1) of housing starts was 244,900 units in April, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). This is up from 214,800 units in March.

"Most of the increase was in the multiples segment. The increase in this segment is partly a reflection of the high level of pre-sales in large multi-unit projects since 2011, which is in line with job gains over the last year," said Mathieu Laberge, Deputy Chief Economist at CMHC's Market Analysis Centre. "Looking at single-detached homes, 67,700 such units were started across Canada in April, a rate which is consistent with that of the recent past," added Laberge.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts increased by 18.0 per cent to 226,200 units in April. Urban single starts increased modestly by 0.6 per cent in April to 67,700 units. Meanwhile, multiple urban starts increased by 27.4 per cent to 158,500 units.

April's seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts increased by 56.5 per cent in Quebec, by 12.2 per cent in Ontario, by 6.3 per cent in the Prairies and British Columbia, and by 2.6 per cent in Atlantic Canada. In each region, the increase was mainly due to multiple starts, particularly in Quebec and Ontario. Meanwhile, single-detached starts decreased in April in all regions, with the exception of Ontario (+7.9 per cent).

Rural starts(2) were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 18,700 units in April.

As Canada's national housing agency, CMHC draws on more than 65 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of high quality, environmentally sustainable and affordable housing solutions. 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 informed decisions.

For more information, visit www.cmhc.ca or call 1-800-668-2642. CMHC Market Analysis standard reports are also available free for download at www.cmhc.ca/housingmarketinformation.

(1) All starts figures in this release, other than actual starts, are seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) - that is, monthly figures adjusted to remove normal seasonal variation and multiplied by 12 to reflect annual levels. By removing seasonal ups and downs, seasonal adjustment makes it possible to highlight the fundamental trends of a series. Reporting monthly figures at annual rates indicates the annual level of starts that would be obtained if the monthly pace was maintained for 12 months. This facilitates comparison of the current pace of activity to annual forecasts as well as to historical annual levels.

(2) CMHC estimates the level of starts in centres with a population of less than 10,000 for each of the three months of the quarter, at the beginning of each quarter. During the last month of the quarter, CMHC conducts the survey in these centres and revises the estimate.

This release is also available at www.cmhc.ca.

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A graph is available at the following address: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Housing2012.pdf

                     Housing Starts, Actual and SAAR(i)                     
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                                     Actual                   SAAR          
                            ------------------------------------------------
                                  April        April      March        April
                                   2011         2012       2012         2012
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                                Revised  Preliminary    Revised  Preliminary
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Canada, all areas                16,766       21,094    214,800      244,900
  Canada, rural areas             1,901        1,906     23,100       18,700
  Canada, urban centres(ii)      14,865       19,188    191,700      226,200
    Canada, singles, urban                                                  
     centres                      5,760        5,945     67,300       67,700
    Canada, multiples, urban                                                
     centres                      9,105       13,243    124,400      158,500
                                                                            
    Atlantic region, urban                                                  
     centres                        615          529      7,700        7,900
    Quebec, urban centres         3,743        5,125     35,200       55,100
    Ontario, urban centres        6,157        7,803     85,000       95,400
    Prairie region, urban                                                   
     centres                      2,452        3,864     43,000       45,700
    British Columbia, urban                                                 
     centres                      1,898        1,867     20,800       22,100
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Source: CMHC                                                                
(i)Seasonally adjusted annual rates                     
(ii) Urban centres with a population of 10,000 and over.
Detailed data available upon request.