Investment in New Housing Construction Up 0.4% in August Year over Year

New Home Construction Oct

Nationally, higher spending on apartment and apartment-condominium building construction and, to a lesser degree, row house construction, offset lower investment in single-family and semi-detached dwelling construction.

Investment in apartment and apartment-condominium building construction totalled $1.6 billion in August, up 24.8% compared with the same month a year earlier. This was the fourth consecutive double-digit advance. Spending on row housing amounted to $432 million, up 7.5% from August 2014.

Investment in the construction of single-family dwellings fell 11.6% year over year to $2.2 billion. Construction spending on semi-detached dwellings declined 12.8% to $236 million.

Increases were registered in three provinces, led by Ontario, followed by British Columbia and Nova Scotia.Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan registered the largest decreases.

In Ontario, construction spending grew 14.5% to $1.7 billion in August compared with the same month a year earlier. Spending on single-family houses accounted for much of the growth, followed by apartment and apartment-condominium buildings. In contrast, investment in semi-detached dwellings fell 20.7% year over year, marking the sixth consecutive decline.

In British Columbia, investment rose 16.9% to $809 million in August. The growth came from all dwelling types except semi-detached. However, higher construction spending on apartment and apartment-condominium buildings accounted for most of the advance.
In Nova Scotia, investment in new housing construction increased 15.1% from August 2014 to $63 million in August. The advance was attributable to higher construction spending on apartment and apartment-condominium buildings, which offset lower investment in the other dwelling types, particularly single-family houses.

Table 1: Investment in new housing construction, by type of dwelling, Canada

Economy Housing Investment

Source: Statistics Canada, www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/151021/dq151021b-eng.htm.

Related Articles


Latest Articles


Changing Scene

  • Mac’s II Agencies Strengthens Lighting Division

    Mac’s II Agencies Strengthens Lighting Division

    March 19, 2025 Mac’s II Agencies Announces Jamie Capell as the New Sales Manager for Lighting Specification Mac’s II Agencies is pleased to announce the expansion of its lighting division with the addition of Jamie Capell as the Sales Manager for Lighting Specification. Jamie brings 25 years of experience in the lighting and electrical industry, most notably… Read More…

  • RENO Lighting Announce New Vice President of Sales

    RENO Lighting Announce New Vice President of Sales

    March 19, 2025 It is with great excitement that RENO introduce Jean-Claude Lespérance as Vice President of Sales at RENO Lighting. With over 35 years of experience in the Canadian electrical industry, Jean-Claude brings unrivalled knowledge of the market and strong relationship with key industry stakeholders, suppliers, and customers. Holding a college diploma in Electrodynamics… Read More…

  • Canada Invests in Deep Energy Retrofits for Affordable Housing in Hamilton

    Canada Invests in Deep Energy Retrofits for Affordable Housing in Hamilton

    March 13, 2025 There is a need and an opportunity for Canada to strengthen energy security and affordability for all Canadians. Canada’s buildings sector is the third-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions across the country. By increasing the scale and pace of building retrofits, we can make homes and buildings more energy-efficient and improve reliability in units.  The federal… Read More…

  • Tesla Products Excluded from BC Hydro Incentive Program

    Tesla Products Excluded from BC Hydro Incentive Program

    March 13, 2025 CBC has reported that BC Hydro is excluding Tesla products from their EV charger incentive program. However, products purchased prior to March 12 will still be eligible. “As of March 12, Tesla chargers, energy storage batteries and inverters are not eligible for rebates, according to B.C. Hydro. Those who have purchased or… Read More…