Developer Greenland Group (Canada) has big plans for downtown Toronto as it breaks ground on a mixed-use complex that will feature many firsts for Canada.

The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) reported a total of 11,303 sales in April 2015, the highest number ever recorded for the month and a 17 per cent increase over April 2014. New listings also increased over the previous year, jumping up five per cent.

According to the latest market report from Urbanation Inc., a total of 4,432 new condominium units were sold in the GTA during the first quarter of 2015, a decline of 10 per cent from the year prior. At the same time, unsold condos in pre-construction fell 16 per cent to 8,781 units and condos under construction fell to 7,059 units, a nine per cent year-over-year decline.

A new report from the Pembina Institute examines how changes to development rules could improve GTA neighbourhoods and increase the region’s supply of family-friendly mid-rise homes. The report, Make Way for Mid-Rise: How to build more homes in walkable, transit-connected neighbourhoods, identifies barriers to development and offers five solutions for creating economically viable mid-rise buildings.

According to a new CIBC World Markets report, non-permanent residents (NPRs) of Canada are reshaping the country’s housing market. The report, which notes that NPRs have now reached record levels, at 770,000 people, says this demographic is a major force capable of influencing macro-economic variables like housing activity.

Monde, one of the first residential buildings to be built in Toronto’s East Bayfront community, has officially broken ground under the leadership of developer Great Gulf Residential. The 44-storey condominium will be built to Waterfront Toronto’s Mandatory Green Building Requirements, aiming for a LEED Gold certification. It is designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie.

For the second consecutive year and the sixth time ever, Mattamy Homes (Mattamy) was named “Home Builder of the Year” at the annual BILD Awards, held on April 24. Mattamy also received the award, which recognizes builders who set the standard for the rest of the industry through building and development leadership, in 2001, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2014.

The YOO Montreal vertical village, a 20-storey condominium located in Montreal, Que., has officially entered the first stage of construction. Designed by Philippe Starck and constructed by Montreal firm Constructions Chapman, the 84-unit building will have a community focus aimed at attracting like-minded tenants with similar lifestyles and aspirations.

Property management company C-Era Property Management & Realty Associa (C-Era) has been selected to provide financial, management, communications, record-keeping and administrative services for downtown Calgary’s Drake Condominiums (Drake).

The 4,940 condo apartment sales recorded by Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® in the first quarter of 2015 marked an 11.1-per-cent year-over-year increase, reports the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB).

In the first two weeks of April, the Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® recorded 4,635 GTA home sales, marking a 3.4-per-cent year-over-year increase

Canadian home sales increased 4.1 per cent month-over-month from February to March, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association’s (CREA) statistics.

The six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts saw Toronto housing starts trend from 25,041 units in February to 30,194 units in March, reports the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC).

The Ledcor Group of Companies has added two new flat-deck heavy cargo barges and one 1,200 horsepower tug boat to its marine division.

New York luxury condo developer barred from real estate securities industry for the next six months.

The City of Hamilton’s building division recently announced that it had issued Ontario’s first six-storey wood-frame building permit for a 209-unit hotel featuring an indoor pool and two restaurants.

The recently released Alberta Green Condo Guide shares how boards and managers can make their buildings more energy efficient and save residents money.