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By rdnewsNOW Staff

18 PER CENT GROWTH

Alberta dominates housing starts in first quarter of 2025

Apr 16, 2025 | 3:33 PM

Alberta had the highest number of housing starts in the country from January to March this year, according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

In Red Deer, there were nine new housing starts of all kinds in the first quarter. Six of these were single-detached homes, while the rest were other forms. This compares to eight total starts during the same period last year, a 13 per cent increase.

The province of Alberta grew its starts by 18 per cent, seeing a total of 11,470 in Q1 of 2025 compared to 9,744 by the same point in 2024.

“Our government is working tirelessly to make the dream of home ownership a reality for Albertans. We are clearing the way for more homes to be built faster to help Albertans find housing that meets their needs and budgets. After a record-breaking 2024, today’s housing starts numbers are just more proof that Alberta’s plan to build homes is working,” says Jason Nixon, minister of seniors, community and social services.

Calgary saw 6,271 compared to 5,385, up 16 per cent. Edmonton’s starts grew 17 per cent, to 4,095 from 3,487.

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By comparison, B.C.’s housing starts were down 30 per cent compared to last year, while Ontario’s fell 38 per cent.

The Government of Alberta says that despite the province making up less than 13 per cent of Canada’s population, it accounted for 25 per cent of all housing starts in the country so far this year.

According to provincial officials, some of the efforts that may have contributed to this include updates to the provincial building code, low tax rates and cutting red tape. Additionally, the province noted it established a construction codes working group in November and launched the Stop Housing Delays online portal last fall.

The Stop Housing Delays portal is intended to act like a “snitch line” on red tape, encouraging developers to identify barriers to housing construction.

You can find the full report on Q1 housing starts here.