The annual pace of housing starts in July fell 10 per cent from June when they posted their strongest showing of the year.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports the annual pace of urban starts was down 11 per cent, the rate of multi-unit urban starts fell 12 per cent and the pace of single-detached urban starts dropped four per cent.
C-M-H-C says housing starts fell 23 per cent in Vancouver but rose 33 per cent in Calgary.
Pelletier and Maj.-Gen. Paul Prevost of the Canadian Armed Forces strategic joint staff are appearing before a parliamentary committee this morning. The two say the Chinese balloon passed near several Canadian military bases during its journey through Canada on Jan. 30-31.
The Liberal government's long-promised plan to transition Canada's labour force to respond to climate change says a clean energy economy will not prompt massive unemployment in the country's energy towns. It says if Canada plays its cards right, the clean energy economy will create so many jobs there may not be enough workers to fill them.
Earthquakes Canada reports a 4.8 magnitude quake struck just before 11 p.m. PST. There are no reports of damage. No tsunami is expected.
Avalanche Canada says a group of five snowboarders and one skier were caught in the slide Thursday in an area known as Terminator 2.5 outside of a ski area boundary near the town of Golden. Avalanche Canada says the two buried victims did not survive and the one person partly buried was rescued with injuries.
Brian Moore has been charged with 10 counts of indecent assault on a male, one count of sexual touching of a person under 14 years old, and one count of sexual assault. North Vancouver RCMP say Moore, now 83, taught at Upper Lynn Elementary School starting in 1970 before the end of his employment in 1982.
John Rustad, who has been representing the northern B.C. riding of Nechako Lakes as an independent, said Thursday the B.C. Conservatives now best represent his political views and goals.