Housing starts make double-digit jump in Kelowna

CENTRAL OKANAGAN – New house construction is climbing in the Central Okanagan, underscoring the strength in the local resale market.

"Demand for new homes has matched supply, keeping inventories of completed and unabsorbed homes in check," Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation regional economist Carol Frketich says in a press release.

In its preliminary housing starts report, the corporation reports 730 housing starts in the first six months of 2015, an increase of 11 per cent over the same time period last year.

While single-detached starts were down 14 per cent to 326, multi-family starts were up 46 per cent from to 404 units.

According to Frketich, housing starts in the province's urban areas were trending at 31,102 units in July compared to 29,321 units in June. The trend is a six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates of housing starts.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community? Create a free account to comment on stories, ask questions, and join meaningful discussions on our new site.

Leave a Reply

John McDonald

John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.

It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.

But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.

If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca

More Articles