Higher new home prices in British Columbia were responsible for most of the national gain in September, while results in the rest of Canada were mixed.

New house prices in Canada rose 0.2% in September, largely reflecting increases in the census metropolitan areas (CMAs) of Kelowna (+0.9%) and Vancouver (+0.7%). Builders tied the rise to improved market conditions.

Prices for new homes in most Southern Ontario CMAs were unchanged in September. The exceptions were Oshawa (+0.9%), St. Catharines-Niagara (+0.6%) and London (+0.2%). Toronto and Guelph each reported a fourth consecutive month of no price change.

In Alberta and Saskatchewan, new house prices declined in all four surveyed CMAs, with Regina (-0.3%) recording the largest decrease.