The seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was 211,900 units in April, down from 214,000 units in March, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp, (CMHC).

“Housing starts in April remain strong and are in line with our new home construction forecast for 2007,” said Bob Dugan, chief economist at CMHC’s Market Analysis Centre, in a news release. “The slight decrease in housing starts is the result of declines in single-detached and rural area starts. Multiple starts continued to move upwards in April.”

April’s seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts was 179,000 units, up 0.6% from March. The urban multiple component rose 2.3% to 94,700 units in April, while single starts decreased 1.2% to 84,300 units.

Seasonally adjusted urban starts decreased in April in all regions except Ontario, where starts were up 9.4%. Urban starts were down 4% in Quebec, 3.2% in British Columbia, 3.1% in the Atlantic, and 1.8% in the Prairies. Urban single starts decreased in all regions except Ontario and the Prairies, while urban multiple starts were down in all regions except Ontario and the Atlantic.

Rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 32,900 units in April.

Actual starts, in rural and urban areas combined, were down an estimated 6.6% in the first four months of 2007 compared to the same period in 2006. Actual starts in urban areas alone were down an estimated 9.3%. Actual single starts in urban areas were 14.5% lower than they were a year earlier, while actual urban multiple starts were down 4.7%. “The larger decrease in single starts reflects the growing interest in less expensive multiple units, which was expected after several years of strong price growth” added Dugan.