The Province of Alberta has managed to reach a new milestone in housing starts while the rest of the country suffocates under red tape.
Data from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation has revealed that there were 13,560 new housing starts in the first four months of 2024—a new record for the province and an over 60% increase from the same period last year—putting Alberta on track for a record year of housing development likely to continue into the future.
At the current rate, Alberta is now on pace for roughly 40,000 new housing starts (and construction season hasn’t even started). For comparison, the province saw 27,325, 24,023, 31,935, 36,544, and 36,022 new housing starts in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively.
This is happening while Canada as a whole has seen a nearly 10% decrease in new housing starts over the same period, with the PM promising an unprecedented housing boom he’s demonstrably incapable of delivering.
As noted by Alberta Minister Jason Nixon, “This unprecedented growth shows the province is leading the country in having the fewest roadblocks and fastest permit approval times to enable housing construction and increase the supply of homes. We will continue to support our housing partners to make sure we can turn these starts into safe, secure and affordable homes ready for Albertans to move into.”
Alberta has also made strides in rental starts, with 25,447 in the 3 years between 2021 and 2023 compared to 25,285 rental starts in the 15 years between 2006 and 2020, showing the province’s commitment to picking up the pace of development to accommodate new immigrants and all of the native-born Canadians fleeing other provinces.
