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April 09, 2019HOUSING STARTS, MARCH 2019 
Nova Scotia's housing starts (seasonally adjusted annualized rate) increased 34.7 per cent to 4,863 in March compared to 3,610 in February. Compared to March 2018, housing starts were up 76.0 per cent.
Housing starts increased 48.4 per cent in Halifax to 4,405 in March compared to 2,969 in March. Halifax starts are up 348.1 per cent compared to March 2018.
The six-month moving average of housing starts in Nova Scotia and Halifax was relatively flat through 2017. During 2018, the six-month moving average rose due to higher starts for multiples and has declined since reaching a peak in September.
In urban areas, housing starts for multiples are generally higher than for singles with greater variability month-to-month. The six-month moving average for singles is at levels similar to 2017, with a period in the first half of 2018 when it rose gradually before declining. The six-month moving average for multiples rose during the summer months of 2018 and has declined since September 2018.
Nationally, housing starts are up 15.8 per cent in March to 192,527 compared to 166,290 in February. National housing starts are 14.2 per cent lower than in March 2018.
Comparing the first quarter of 2019 with the first quarter of 2018, housing starts were down in nine provinces. The largest declines were in Newfoundland and Labrador (-78.2 per cent) and Saskatchewan (-47.0 per cent). Manitoba (+8.9 per cent) reported the only increase in housing starts over January-March 2018.
Note: Urban areas are defined as areas over 10,000 people
Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0158-01 and Table 34-10-0156-01
CHMC Housing Market Information Portal
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