EMBARGO – RELEASE DECEMBER 8, 2010 AT 8:15 AM

November Housing Starts in Vancouver and Abbotsford

Vancouver, December 8, 2010 – Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
reports that housing starts totalled 918 units across the Vancouver Census Metropolitan Area
(CMA) during the month of November.

“Home builders have been busy constructing single family homes over the past eleven months,”
noted Robyn Adamache, Senior Market Analyst with CMHC. “Active areas include Vancouver
City, Surrey, and Coquitlam, pushing single family starts in the Vancouver CMA to exceed the
ten-year average level for this period. Yet total housing starts remain below the ten-year average
level as home builders are focusing on smaller-scale and phased multiple family projects.”
There have been 4,295 single family and 9,207 multiple unit starts so far this year.

Multiple family units made up more than half of the 56 housing starts in the Abbotsford CMA for
the month of November. Despite the uptick in multiple family starts in November, single family
homes have accounted for the majority of residential building in the Abbotsford CMA this year.
There have been 331 single family housing starts year-to-date.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted annual rate of total housing starts grew to 187,200 units in
November. In British Columbia, November’s seasonally adjusted rate of urban housing starts
moved lower to 18,900 units, from 24,000 units in October, mainly due to moderation in multiple
family housing starts in November. Vancouver’s seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing
starts moderated to 10,900, from 16,900 last month.

As Canada's national housing agency, CMHC draws on more than 60 years of experience to
help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable and affordable homes.
CMHC also provides reliable, impartial and up-to-date housing market reports, analysis and
knowledge to support and assist consumers and the housing industry in making vital decisions.

For more information, and to download CMHC’s housing reports, please visit CMHC’s website at
www.cmhc.ca/housingmarketinformation or call 1-800-668-2642.

-30-
For further information, please contact:
Robyn Adamache
Senior Market Analyst
Tel (604) 737-4144 Cell (604) 787-9659
radamach@cmhc.ca
(Ce document existe également en français) …/2
 Vancouver CMA Housing Starts
NOVEMBER 2010 YEAR-TO-DATE NOVEMBER 2010
Single-Detached Multiples TOTAL Single-Detached Multiples TOTAL
2010 2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010 2009
Bowen Island 4 2 0 0 4 2 Bowen Island 17 15 6 2 23 17
Burnaby 33 20 5 28 38 48 Burnaby 264 122 751 522 1,015 644
Coquitlam 0 26 6 37 6 63 Coquitlam 147 162 907 265 1,054 427
Delta 12 18 4 33 16 51 Delta 158 125 237 156 395 281
Langley City 0 0 0 62 0 62 Langley City 3 2 167 196 170 198
Langley District 22 29 34 61 56 90 Langley District 217 159 541 377 758 536
Maple Ridge 20 27 0 0 20 27 Maple Ridge 274 179 130 106 404 285
New West 9 8 0 0 9 8 New West 110 46 143 158 253 204
North Van. City 3 2 4 4 7 6 North Van. City 9 13 246 29 255 42
North Van. District 7 9 8 0 15 9 North Van. District 72 52 159 160 231 212
Pitt Meadows 0 3 0 0 0 3 Pitt Meadows 14 14 0 20 14 34
Port Coquitlam 0 0 72 8 72 8 Port Coquitlam 6 4 172 84 178 88
Port Moody 0 0 0 0 0 0 Port Moody 14 7 21 0 35 7
Richmond 15 5 24 8 39 13 Richmond 274 106 974 498 1,248 604
Surrey 97 198 203 133 300 331 Surrey 1,840 1,193 1,518 1,025 3,358 2,218
Vancouver City 81 44 175 16 256 60 Vancouver City 748 342 2,917 891 3,665 1,233
West Vancouver 6 5 0 0 6 5 West Vancouver 89 47 2 0 91 47
White Rock 1 5 5 2 6 7 White Rock 8 14 79 84 87 98
Other 1 0 67 0 68 0 Other 31 17 237 137 268 154
Van CMA TOTAL 311 401 607 392 918 793 Van CMA TOTAL 4,295 2,619 9,207 4,710 13,502 7,329
TOTAL Change -22% 55% 16% TOTAL Change 64% 95% 84%
Abbotsford 16 16 31 6 47 22 Abbotsford 245 102 141 153 386 255
Mission 7 14 2 0 9 14 Mission 86 79 2 0 88 79
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 Other 0 0 0 0 0 0
Abbotsford CMA 23 30 33 6 56 36 Abbotsford CMA 331 181 143 153 474 334
TOTAL Change -23% 450% 56% TOTAL Change 83% -7% 42%
Chilliwack CA 13 17 7 18 20 35 Chilliwack CA 337 208 346 137 683 345
TOTAL Change -24% -61% -43% TOTAL Change 62% 153% 98%
Source: CMHC Source: CMHC
Vancouver - Other incl. Anmore, Belcarra, Lions Bay, UEL, Unorgan.
Abbotsford - Other incl. Fraser Valley H.
* Single Detached refers to single family homes
**Multiples refer to semi-detached, townhouse and apartment units

Lower Mainland Housing Starts*

Change in Units 2009 - 2010
WEST NORTH
VANCOUVER VANCOUVER
94% 91%
TRI-CITIES
143%

MAPLE
VANCOUVER CITY BURNABY & NEW
WESTMINSTER
RIDGE
197%
42%
50%
MISSION
RICHMOND

107% SURREY
DELTA ABBOTSFORD
51% LANGLEY
41% 42%
26%

*January -November 2010

WHITE
ROCK
British Columbia - Urban Areas (10,000+ population)

Housing Starts (Units ) - B.C., November 2010

Area Single Detached Multiples Total
2009 2010 %Chg. 2009 2010 %Chg 2009 2010 %Chg
Vancouver CMA 401 311 -22.4% 392 607 54.8% 793 918 15.8%
Victoria CMA 94 40 -57.4% 65 123 89.2% 159 163 2.5%
Abbotsford CMA 30 23 -23.3% 6 33 ## 36 56 55.6%
Kelowna CMA 52 43 -17.3% 66 51 -22.7% 118 94 -20.3%
Chilliwack CA 17 13 -23.5% 18 7 ## 35 20 -42.9%
Kamloops CA 39 30 -23.1% 8 52 ## 47 82 74.5%
Nanaimo CA 32 42 31.3% 26 42 61.5% 58 84 44.8%
Prince George CA 14 9 -35.7% 2 8 ## 16 17 6.3%
Vernon CA 15 8 -46.7% 4 0 -100.0% 19 8 -57.9%
Other Centres 140 97 -30.7% 60 65 8.3% 200 162 -19.0%
Urban B.C. 834 616 -26.1% 647 988 52.7% 1,481 1,604 8.3%
##: Greater than 200 per cent Source: CMHC

Housing Starts (units) - Urban B.C., January - November 2010

Area Single Detached Multiples Total
2009 2010 %Chg. 2009 2010 %Chg 2009 2010 %Chg
Vancouver CMA 2,619 4,295 64.0% 4,710 9,207 95.5% 7,329 13,502 84.2%
Victoria CMA 576 784 36.1% 329 1,173 ## 905 1,957 116.2%
Abbotsford CMA 181 331 82.9% 153 143 -6.5% 334 474 41.9%
Kelowna CMA 353 559 58.4% 232 358 54.3% 585 917 56.8%
Chilliwack CA 208 337 62.0% 137 346 152.6% 345 683 98.0%
Kamloops CA 173 343 98.3% 225 261 16.0% 398 604 51.8%
Nanaimo CA 240 398 65.8% 511 353 -30.9% 751 751 0.0%
Prince George CA 107 149 39.3% 32 62 93.8% 139 211 51.8%
Vernon CA 121 169 39.7% 121 33 -72.7% 242 202 -16.5%
Other Centres 916 1,364 48.9% 388 771 98.7% 1,304 2,135 63.7%
Urban B.C. 5,494 8,729 58.9% 6,838 12,707 85.8% 12,332 21,436 73.8%
##: Greater than 200 per cent Source: CMHC