Statistics Canada reported Calgary was the top contributor to the national advance in May of new home prices.

The federal agency stated Thursday that the New Housing Price Index inflated 0.1 per cent in May across the country thanks to a 0.9 per cent rise in the Calgary census metropolitan area.

It said builders in the Calgary area reported a growth in material and labour costs as the main reason for higher prices.

On an annual basis, prices in the Calgary region boost by 5.3 per cent. Nationally, they were up 1.8 per cent on a yearly basis.