The Canada Mortgage And Housing Corp. (CMHC) reported on Monday the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was at 192,527 units in March, up 158 percent from downwardly revised 166,290 units in February (originally 173,153 units). 

Economists had forecast an annual pace of 193,000 for March. 

According to the report, urban starts surged by 17.6 percent m-o-m last month to 178,033 units, as multiple urban starts climbed by 18.6 percent m-o-m to 135,894 units, while single-detached urban starts jumped by 12.1 percent m-o-m, to 42,139 units. At the same time, rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 14,494 units.