The number of housing starts in the Prince George metropolitan area almost tripled from 2023 to 2024, according to figures released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in January.
On. Jan. 16, the CMHC released housing starts data for 2024. Across the whole country, housing starts were up by about two per cent from 2023 and Canada’s six-largest metropolitan areas saw their combined starts drop by three per cent.
In British Columbia, there were 43,575 housing starts in communities with a population of 10,000 or more people, down from 47,895 in 2023.
The number of starts for both the City of Prince George and the Prince George metropolitan census agglomeration, which includes electoral areas A, C, D and F of the Fraser-Fort George Regional District, far exceed the national trend.
The metropolitan area had 559 housing starts in 2024, comprised of 105 single-family dwellings, 14 semi-detached dwellings, 13 row dwellings and 426 apartment units.
There were just 202 starts in PG’s metropolitan area in 2023, 94 single-family dwellings, 16 semi-detached dwellings, 42 row houses and 50 apartment units.
The 2024 totals for the metropolitan area are also higher than the 451 in 2022. However, they’re below the 665 starts in 2021. The 2024 figures are the second-highest in the last 10 years.
The City of Prince George by itself saw 530 housing starts in 2024, comprised of 77 single-detached homes, 14 semi-detached dwellings, 13 row houses and 426 apartment units.
The city had just 178 starts in 2023, made up of 70 single-detached homes, 16 semi-detached homes, 42 row houses and 50 apartment units.
There were 400 total housing starts in 2022 and 606 in 2021.
In 2023, the CMHC stopped providing information on housing completions.
In August 2024, the provincial government issued the City of Prince George a housing target order requiring 1,803 net dwelling units to be built over the next five years. That figure was said to be 75 per cent of the estimated housing need for Prince George.
The CMHC’s data does not track the demolition of existing units, meaning it does not show the net number of dwellings added to Prince George’s stock.
An interim housing needs report prepared by the city late last year stated that Prince George needs 5,218 housing units between 2021 and 2026 and 12,503 between 2021 and 2041.
