Ottawa, Ontario—The total value of building permits increased again in the month of October, up 1.3 per cent to $10.3 billion in October, reports Statistics Canada. The increase was led by gains in British Columbia (15 per cent) and Ontario (4.5 per cent).
Additionally, construction intentions in the non-residential sector were up 4.2 per cent, while the residential sector edged down 0.1 per cent.
Residential sector down
As reported by Statistics Canada, residential construction intentions fell 0.1 per cent to $6.9 billion. Ontario and British Columbia recorded the largest declines.
Following a strong September, when multi-family units rose 18.6 per cent, the month of October saw a decline of 8.8 per cent. While the overall national value fell, New Brunswick reported its second-highest value on record, up 123.8 per cent.
In the single-family home sector, it was the polar opposite. In September, construction intentions for single-family homes fell 2.7 per cent, but for October, the total value of permits rose 10.8 per cent. Ontario recorded the highest increase, up 15.1 per cent, while Saskatchewan reported the only decline across all the provinces, down 8.6 per cent.
Non-residential sector recovering
With a $254 million project in British Columbia, the overall value of construction intentions for institutional buildings jumped 63.2 per cent. In addition, commercial building permits rose 10.1 per cent for the month, with Ontario leading the way, up 36.8 per cent.
Overall, the total value of building permits in the non-residential sector at the national level rose 4.2 per cent to $3.4 billion, 16.7 per cent above the pre-pandemic level in February 2020.