Housing prices tick up in January

OTTAWA — The New Housing Price Index (NHPI) rose 0.3% in January, following a 0.1% gain in December, StatCan reported. The national increase was the largest since May 2012 and mainly the result of strong gains in the Prairie region. The metropolitan region of Calgary was the top contributor to the January rise, with prices up 1.3% over December. The biggest monthly price gain in January was in Saskatoon (up 1.4%), where builders raised list prices to coincide with the new calendar year.