Ottawa, ON—August marked a poor month in the residential sector for the value of building permits; however, the same can’t be said for the non-residential, which saw quite the increase.
According to a report done by Statistics Canada, the total value of building permits in Canada decreased 2.1 per cent to $9.7 billion in August. Although most provinces reported increases, there were notable declines in Ontario and British Columbia, which pulled the national results down.
Residential building permits
Ontario and British Columbia recorded most of the decline for residential permits, down 8.3 per cent to $6.4 billion in August. Additionally, construction intentions for multi-family units fell 15.9 per cent, largely reflecting Ontario’s decline (down 24.3 per cent).
In contrast, single-family intentions were up slightly (up 1.2 per cent), led by a 15.7 per cent gain in Quebec. Newfoundland and Labrador reported the first provincial increase in this component after six consecutive monthly declines.
Non-residential building permits
The non-residential sector proved to be the sole shining star. The sector reports an increase of 12.3 per cent in the total value of building permits to $3.3 billion. Higher construction intentions in Quebec and Alberta were significant factors in the rise.
Ontario is recording a third consecutive month of growth, with commercial building permits up 14.9 per cent. The value of institutional building permits rose 21.9 per cent in August, with Quebec recording the highest increase (up 78.0 per cent).
In contrast, construction intentions for industrial buildings decreased 7.3 per cent to $543 million in August. Despite a strong July, Nova Scotia reported the largest monthly percentage decrease (down 90.9 per cent.)