In June, municipalities across Canada issued fewer building permits than May 2018, totalling more than $8 billion in construction value.
Permits were issued for a total value of $5.2 billion in the residential sector (down 5.7 per cent from May). This can be split into single-family and multi-family dwellings. Almost $3 billion worth of multi-family homes were approved (apartments, condos, etc.), while $2.4 billion in single-family dwellings were approved for June.
In total, more than 19,000 new homes were approved in June (down 10.5 per cent from May). This drop in permits was the result of a drop in multi-family dwellings. The number of new single-family dwellings increased by 0.8 per cent to 5,444 new units. Only 13,667 multi-family buildings were approved in June (down 14.3 per cent).
The value of building permits in the non-residential sector rose 4.6 per cent to $2.9 billion – an increase in Alberta and Ontario offset the declines in six provinces, the largest being in Quebec. More than $600 million went into the institutional sector, up 16.3 per cent. This gain comes after four consecutive months of decline. The rise is credited to a few high-value permits issued for agricultural and manufacturing buildings in Ontario. In the commercial sector, $1.7 billion in construction was approved.
Intended construction projects in census metropolitan areas (CMA) across Canada were down in 20 of the 36 CMAs. In Toronto and Calgary, there were notable declines compared to May.
Also, in Quebec, the value of permits fell 8.4 per cent in June. This marks the third consecutive month they have seen a decrease. Almost all CMAs in Quebec were down with the exception of Saguenay.
Ontario issued $3.3 billion worth of building permits in June. This was the result of more permits in the industrial and institutional sectors. The City of Barrie reported the largest increase, issuing $105 million worth of building permits.