Housing starts in B.C.’s urban municipalities of more than 10,000 people ended 2015 with a jump of 26 per cent in December, according to the latest Statistics Canada figures.
B.C.’s increase was mostly in multi-family developments. Single detached housing starts were up only 3.5 per cent.
B.C.’s housing surge went against the national trend, with housing starts down in seven provinces. Only B.C., Quebec and Manitoba saw growth in December, compared to a year earlier.
Housing starts dropped 39 per cent in Ontario and 41 per cent in Alberta, where the oil price slump has hit the economy hard.
