View the most recent version.

Highlights

First quarter 2007

1. The New housing price index rose 1.0% in the first quarter of 2007 down from the previous quarter increase of 1.4%. This was the smallest quarterly increase since the first quarter of 2005. Prices rose across the country with the Prairie Region continuing to lead with 2.5%, followed by Quebec (+1.5%), Ontario (+0.4%), British Columbia (+0.3%) and the Atlantic Region (+0.2%).
2. The composite price index for Non-residential building construction increased 2.0% from the previous quarter to 152.4 (1997=100) in the first quarter, up 10.0% from the first quarter of 2006. The 2.0% increase was mostly the result of higher labour and material costs and the persistent strength of the non-residential building construction market, particularly in Western Canada.
3. The Machinery and equipment price index stood at 93.3 (1997=100) in the first quarter, up 2.3% from the previous quarter. The import component index rose 3.5%, while the domestic index edged up 0.3%. Compared to the first quarter of 2006, the total MEPI was up 1.9%, the import index increasing by 3.3%, while the domestic index declined 0.6%.
4. The Electric utility construction price index distribution systems component rose 6.7% in 2006. The increase in the material component for this period (+12.4%) was the major contributor to this change. Construction costs for the transmission line systems component rose 3.4% in 2006 compared with the 1.5% increase for all of 2005.