According to Statistics Canada, spending on new housing construction totaled $3.7 billion in February, up 5.4 percent from the same month a year earlier.
Nationally, the gain was the result of higher investment in apartment and apartment-condominium building construction, which increased 24.8 percent to $1.4 billion, and, to a lesser extent, row house construction, which rose 8.2 percent to $373 million.
In contrast, investment in single-family dwellings was $1.8 billion, 4.3 percent lower than in February 2015, while spending on semi-detached dwelling construction declined 18.1 percent to $160 million.
At the provincial level, increases were recorded in three provinces, led by Ontario, followed by British Columbia and Quebec.