Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports the annual pace of housing starts jumped 22 per cent between March and April.
It says the increase is due to a 33 per cent rise in starts of multi-unit urban homes.
The national housing agency says the annual pace of housing starts was up 36 per cent in Vancouver, 54 per cent in Toronto and 43 per cent in Montreal.
Also, 93.8% (4,058,015) of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose, 91.5% (3,957,889) received their second dose and 59.5% (2,573,327) have received a third dose.
In the first three days of April, the police watchdog says it responded to six incidents, including two officer shootings, which highlights the significant staffing challenges.
A statement from Nanaimo RCMP says an on-duty officer witnessed the collision around 9:30 p.m. Monday and administered first aid until Emergency Health Services personnel arrived to take the pedestrian to hospital, where he later died.
Prof. Carolyn Whitzman, a University of Ottawa housing and social policy expert, says policy changes ranging from requiring municipal governments to approve more multi-housing developments to introducing provincial policies that make more government land available for housing could help the problem.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday that people over age 70 in the community, Indigenous people 55 and up and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable will also be included in a vaccination campaign that will ramp up through the spring.
Changes to the Transportation Act were introduced Tuesday, which the government says would allow the province to shape growth around transit, increase housing density and build connected communities.