Municipalities in Canada issued $7.8 billion (US$6 billion) worth of building permits in April, down 4.6 percent compared to March. Every component except for commercial buildings reported declines, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
In the residential sector, the value of permits issued by municipalities fell 4.3 percent to $5.1 billion (US$3.94 billion) in April. Five provinces posted declines, led by British Columbia.
In the non-residential sector, building permits fell 5.2 percent to $2.8 billion (US$2.2 billion) in April, following a 1.7 percent increase in March. The value of non-residential building permits declined in four provinces, led by British Columbia and Ontario. Three of the four Atlantic provinces reported higher building permit values.
