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May 08, 2017CMHC PRELIMINARY HOUSING STARTS, APRIL 2017 
Nova Scotia's housing starts (seasonally adjusted annualized rate) increased 260.1 per cent to 6,378 in April compared to March, with the Halifax market up 1,090.6 per cent, to 5,441.
Compared to April 2017, Nova Scotia housing starts were up 233.8 per cent while Halifax starts were up 594.9 per cent.
April's relatively high growth rate for monthly starts reflects relatively low numbers of starts in each of March 2017 and April 2016.
Through the first four months of 2017, Nova Scotia housing starts were up 77.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2016. That growth was driven largely by increases in multiple-unit starts in the Halifax market.
Across the country, the pace of housing starts decreased by 15.1 per cent to 214,098 in April compared to March. Housing starts were 13.5 per cent higher than in April 2016.
Housing starts for January-April 2017 were up in all but three provinces compared to the first four months of 2016, led by Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia in percentage terms. Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia had lower housing starts than in January-April 2016.
The six month average of housing starts increased through most of 2016, starting the year at around 2,500 and rising to around 4,000 by the end of the year. Similarly, the Halifax trend also increased over the past year.
Note: Urban areas are defined as areas over 10,000 people
Statistics Canada: CANSIM table 027-0054, CANSIM table 027-0051
CHMC Housing Market Information Portal
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