Ottawa, ON — Thanks to large gains in Ontario and British Columbia, the total value of building permits across Canada rose 11.0 per cent to $13.2 billion in December.
The overall gains were largely due to the increase in building permits in the residential sector, which was up 21.2 per cent, reports Statistics Canada.
Multi-unit construction intentions rose 33.3 per cent, while single-family construction intentions rose 1.8 per cent.
However, the total value of non-residential permits fell 5.9 per cent to $4.2 billion in December, marking the third monthly decrease in a row.
Declines in the commercial (down $221.1 million) and institutional (down $167.6 million) components more than offset reported gains in the industrial component (up $126.5 million).
In December, seven provinces and one territory recorded monthly declines in non-residential construction intentions. Quebec led the decline, down $269.1 million.
Overall, the total value of building permits in the fourth quarter rose by 1.2 per cent to $37.5 billion.