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*% econd quarter housing starts ‘ jumped 9.7 per cent to 166,700 units seasonally RIVER OAKS TOWNKHOME Great value at $135,900. Flexible possession. For details on this or any other home call LINDA or IAN DARROUCH 842â€"7000. Sales Associates adjusted at an annuâ€" al rate (SAAR)*, up from a level of 151,900 units SAAR in the first quarter, reported Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. "New construcâ€" CALL TIan or Linda 418â€"2 North Service Rd. E. tion bounced back in the spring, strengthened by the lower interest rates early in the year, good sales on the existing market, more fullâ€"time jobs and better consumer confidence. There was also some catchâ€"up from the winter delays due to the extreme cold,". OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 2â€"4 PM. "ON THE PARK" in White Oak Trails Gorgeous. Hardwood floors, . 2,750 sq. ft. Many upgrades! Z CC3 750 sq. ft Many upgrades! /4 GAIL MOREAU Sales Representative 338â€"6550 "This perforâ€" mance will be hard to repeat, however, as some of the posiâ€" tive forces are losâ€" ing steam. Interest rates rose substanâ€" tially during the secâ€" ond quarter, and existing home sales said Gilles Proulx, chief economist at CMHC‘s market analysis centre. The gain in starts was due to singleâ€" detached dwellings. The multiple unit sector posted a large and consumer confiâ€" dence have started to weaken as a result. On the other hand, employment gains seem poised to keep their recent m o me n t u m ," explained Proulx. Quebec starts continued to improve as starts rose 24.4 per cent to 44,400 units SAAR (35,700). Most of Ontario home starts rose 16 per cent to 48,700 units SAAR (42,000), from a weak first quarter. The province posted widespread gains in both urban centres and other areas, for singleâ€"detached as well as multiple units. This is against a background of strong sales of existâ€" ing homes in most large urban centres with a rebound in employment and consumer confiâ€" dence. drop as a result of lower construction in British Columbia. Regionally, new construction was up in Quebec, Ontario and the Atlantic while it fell in British Columbia and the Prairie region. The followâ€" ing regional review shows first quarter 1994 results in parenthesis. the advance took place in large cenâ€" tres, in line with strong â€" existing home sales in the larger centres of Montreal, Quebec City and Troisâ€" Rivieres. The province has also shown some of the best employment recoveries earlier this year but confiâ€" dence is inching down. In the Prairie region, starts inched down 2.1 per cent to a rate of 23,600 units SAAR (24,100), as weaker Alberta construction _ some gains in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, in line with resale activity. Regional consumer confidence is also edging down. Starts fell 9.1 per cent to 19,000 units in Alberta, while they rose nearly 20 per cent to 2,500 units in Manitoba and nearly doubled to 2,100 units in Saskatchewan. British Columbia starts fell 12.9 per cent to 37,200 units SAAR â€" (42,700) mostly as a result of unusually low levels of ~condominium starts. _ Activity bounced back at the end of the quarter and should continue to benefit from staâ€" ble and high confiâ€" dence and good employment gains, although the resale market appears to have reached a plateau. * The SAAR is a quarterly figure that is adjusted to remove seasonal variation and multiâ€" plied by four to reflect annual levâ€" elsssmaasausrs New Brunswick and Newfouqdland starts more than doubled from the first quarter rate to 4,800 and 2,600 units SAAR respecâ€" tively. . Activity advanced nearly twoâ€"thirds to 1,000 units in Price Edward Island; and rose 10 per cent to 4,400 units in Nova Scotia. Home construcâ€" tion in the Atlantic recovered from the level of the first quarter, with a 73 per cent increase to 12,800 units SAAR (7,400).. All four provinces shared in the rebound. On a SAAR basis, results are as follows: