Alberta's population is growing and so is the demand for housing.

The provincial government has been working at removing barriers and helping their housing partners be able to get shovels in the ground faster.

Data collected from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) highlights that there has been a significant rise in housing starts (which is a measure of new residential construction) in Alberta in 2024, compared to the same time frame in 2023.

By March 2023, there were 6,200 home starts.

By March 2024, there have been 9,722 starts, which is more than a 50 per cent increase than the year prior.

Meanwhile, the rest of the country only saw a 16 per cent growth.

There has also been an increase in rental homes being built.

In the past three years, there were 25,477 rental homes that began construction in Alberta, where during the previous 15 years combined, there were only 25,285.

"Our province is leading the way in getting more homes built. We will continue to support our partners in the residential construction industry to help increase housing options available for all Albertans," explained the Minister of Seniors, Community, and Social Services Jason Nixon in a media release from April 24. " Our construction industry is making strong progress addressing our market housing shortage through these new builds."

Both Calgary and Edmonton have hundreds of new homes being built, with 1,760 being built in Calgary and 1,162 in Edmonton.

On top of helping to speed along home building, the government has made progress on their Stronger Foundations affordable housing strategy, which is helping vulnerable Albertans have a safe and affordable home to live in.

They are on track to support 82,000 low-income households by 2031.

166 units of affordable housing have already been completed in Alberta since December 2023.

To learn more about the data from the CMHC, click here.