The number of new houses being built in B.C. was down last month compared with March 2010, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) said Friday.
The organization recorded 1,436 housing starts across B.C. last month, with fewer single-detached homes built than in the same period in 2010.
Still, residential construction across the province in the first quarter was “close” to last year’s levels, noted Carol Frketich, CMHC’s regional economist.
Housing starts in the Vancouver census metropolitan area (CMA) increased to 958 units compared with the same month a year ago. Most of the new builds were in Surrey, Richmond and Vancouver.
“Multiple family home starts made up the majority of housing starts in the CMA during the first quarter,” said Robyn Adamache, CMHC’s senior market analyst.
In the valley, Abbotsford posted a record month for housing starts in March, with 107 new units compared with 44 for the same month last year.