The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) reported on Tuesday the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was at 226,639 units in August, up 1.9 percent from an upwardly revised 222,467 units in July (originally 222,013 units).

Economists had forecast an annual pace of 204,500 for August.

According to the report, urban starts rose by 2.0 percent m-o-m last month to 213,663 units, as single-detached urban starts surged by 13.6 percent m-o-m, to 53,275 units, while multiple urban starts fell by 1.4 percent m-o-m to 160,388 units. At the same time, rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 12,976 units, up 0.4 percent m-o-m.