According to statistics from the Canadian Heating, Refrigera-tion and Air Conditioning Wholesalers (CHRAW), shipments increased in three sectors for the first quarter of 2000.

Commercial air conditioning jumped 19%, residential air conditioning was up 12%, and chillers increased 18%.

Residential furnace shipments, on the other hand, declined by 11% for the quarter.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) reported that the annual rate of housing starts in the country decreased by 5.4% to 158,300 units in April compared to 167,300 in March.

Urban single-unit starts dropped 12.7% vs. March, while multiple units grew 4.9%.

— Greg Mazurkiewicz