Housing starts in Red Deer last month were up slightly from April 2013, although the number related to single-detached houses was lower.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. reported on Thursday that work commenced on 65 homes in the city last month, as compared with 62 for the same period a year ago.
The latest figure included 34 in the single-detached category, down from 40; and 31 units in multi-family projects, an increase from 22.
During the first four months of 2014, there were 350 housing starts in Red Deer: 116 single-detached and 234 multi-family.
That compares with last year’s January-to-April tally of 298, which consisted of 111 single-detached houses and 187 units in multi-family projects.
Among Alberta’s seven largest urban centres, Red Deer ranks behind only Calgary and Edmonton when it comes to residential building activity this year.
The Calgary census metropolitan area led the way with 5,857 starts as of April 30, with the Edmonton CMA next at 3,579.
After Red Deer was Lethbridge with 191, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo with 127, Medicine Hat with 105 and Grande Prairie with 57.
Nationally, CMHC estimated actual housing starts in April at 17,124. That translated into a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 194,809 units, up from 156,592 in March.
The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts increased in Ontario, the Prairies and Quebec, and decreased in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia.
With files from The Canadian Press