Residential housing starts in Quebec increased by 9% in May 2022 compared to the same month last year, registering a first increase after declines seen over the past five months.
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Nearly 5,525 homes have sprung up in the province for this period, according to data released Wednesday by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
While the number of single-family homes fell (-32%) last month, that of collective housing increased by 19% compared to May 2021.
“Among collective housing, we note the erection of 4,442 apartments in Quebec last month. This is a record in this regard for the month of May,” said Paul Cardinal, director of the Economic Department of the Association of Construction and Housing Professionals of Quebec (APCHQ).
This increase was felt mainly in four of Quebec’s six census metropolitan areas (CMAs), particularly in Montreal, where housing starts jumped 21 per cent in May for the first time this year.
The CMAs of Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and Gatineau increased by 28%, 23% and 18% respectively over the same period.
Conversely, after three months of strong monthly increases, the Québec City CMA recorded a 32% drop in housing starts. Construction also fell by 11% in Saguenay.
The smallest urban centers between 10,000 and 100,000 inhabitants are also on the rise, with a 14% increase in housing starts, which represents the second increase of this type since the beginning of the year.
Over the period from June 2021 to May 2022, however, housing starts fell by 4% compared to the previous 12-month period.