Total value of building permits.
August reported another good month for the value of building permits which rose 6.1 per cent to $9 billion. This was largely because of an increase in multi-family and industrial permits. Seven provinces reported gains, with one-third of the national increase in Quebec.
The value of permits for multi-family dwellings rose in every province, except Nova Scotia, increasing 18.8 per cent to $3.3 billion in August. More than
Value of building permits for the residential and non-residential sectors
half these gains were in British Columbia largely due to a high-value permit in the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Vancouver. Quebec also contributed to the increase, up to $143 million compared with July.
Single-family dwellings rose 3.2 per cent to $2.4 billion nationally, led by Ontario. The CMA of St. Catharines-Niagara issued a record-high $102 million. These gains were largely attributed to several developers filing additional permits prior to an upcoming increase in development costs in the region.
Month-to-month change in the value of non-residential building permits
Industrial permits were the only component in the non-residential sector to increase in value. The increase was largely due to a high-value permit for a biopharmaceutical company in the CMA of Toronto. There was an increase of 18.9 per cent.
Commercial permits declined 5.9 per cent to $1.9 billion, following increases in July. Quebec reported an increase in the commercial sector by $73 million despite the national decrease.
Five provinces reported declines in the value of institutional permits, down 10.7 per cent. All three non-residential components in British Columbia reported decreases. They also reported the largest provincial declines in the values of commercial (-$118 million) and institutional (-$48 million).
