Housing starts decline in May

OTTAWA — The seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts for all areas in Canada excluding Quebec saw a decrease of 20.4 percent in May from April. The SAAR of urban starts decreased by 21.6 percent in May. Multiple urban starts decreased by 27.2 percent while single-detached urban starts decreased by 3.9 percent. Rural starts were estimated at a SAAR of 7,772. Data from Quebec were excluded for the sake of an accurate comparison with the data for April, when construction was suspended in the province for most of the month.