The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) reported on Wednesday the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was at 235,460 units in April, up 22.6 percent from a downwardly revised 191,981 units in February (originally 192,527units).

Economists had forecast an annual pace of 196,400 for April.

According to the report, urban starts surged by 24.0 percent m-o-m last month to 220,387 units, as multiple urban starts climbed by 29.6 percent m-o-m to 175,732 units, while single-detached urban starts rose by 6.0 percent m-o-m, to 44,655 units. At the same time, rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 15,073 units, up 5.5 percent m-o-m.