Urban housing starts in July in Saskatchewan increased by 506 per cent, compared to July 2019, which was the highest percentage increase among the provinces.
“This is an incredible increase in July housing starts, which is good news for the province’s construction sector and economic recovery in Saskatchewan,” Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said. “It’s more proof that Saskatchewan is weathering the external economic headwinds of the COVID-19 global pandemic and is in a solid position for a strong economic recovery.”
Locally, numbers are not nearly as robust.
“We had one bungalow single family start in May,” said Yorkton Mayor Bob Maloney, adding in 2019 three single family homes were built in the city.
Maloney said it appears “new construction costs are proving to be a deterrent” to new builds, a situation made worse with numerous existing homes on the market locally.
In the first seven months of 2020, Saskatchewan’s housing starts were up 81.8 per cent when compared to the same period in 2019, which is also the highest percentage rise among provinces.
In July 2020, housing starts on single family dwellings increased by 67.1 per cent (from 76 units to 127 units), and multiple units increased by 1,361.5 per cent (from 39 units to 570 units), compared to July 2019.
