Ottawa, ON – Residential permits pulled down the second-quarter intentions having declined by 1.7 per cent to $31 billion in the second quarter, compared with the previous period. Despite this, the value of building permits remained the second-highest on record and was 38.5 per cent above the same quarter in 2020, which was heavily impacted by COVID-19 restrictions in the constructions industry.
The value of permits for the residential sector fell 4.2 per cent to $21.4 billion in the second quarter. Permits for both multi-family and single-family dwellings dropped, with seven provinces reporting decreases.
Construction intentions in the non-residential sector rose 4.5 per cent to $9.6 billion, reports Statistics Canada.
Although the second quarter values exceeded the values in the first quarter of 2020, non-residential permits remained below the quarterly levels of 2019. Among the non-residential components, institutional permits increased for a fourth consecutive quarter, which was largely due to projects in the education and health care sectors.
Total value
According to Statistics Canada, the total value of building permits in Canada rose 6.9 per cent to $10.2 billion in June 2021. The rise saw seven provinces record gains, with Ontario leading the way up 22.7 per cent.
With help from Toronto and Hamilton’s new high-value permits for apartment buildings, Ontario’s residential permit value increased 13.5 per cent to $3.7 billion in June. Conversely, Quebec had the most significant decrease being down 29.9 per cent.
In addition, construction intentions in the residential sector increased 9.1 per cent, with Ontario and Alberta recording the most significant gains. In the non-residential sector, construction intentions increased 2.2 per cent, and Alberta recorded the most significant gain, up 32.7 per cent.