According to Statistics Canada, total investment in new housing construction rose 2.4 percent year over year to $4.7 billion in August.
The increase at the national level was attributable to higher investment in apartment building construction (+9.2 percent to $1.7 billion) and row house construction (+7.8 percent to $455 million).
In contrast, spending on single-family houses declined 2.1 percent year over year to $2.3 billion in August, following six consecutive months of year-over-year gains. Investment in semi-detached dwellings also decreased year over year, down 6.1 percent to $222 million in August.