Municipalities issued C$7.2 billion (US$5.5 billion) worth of building permits in December, down 6.6 percent from November, according to Statistics Canada. Lower construction intentions were recorded for all components, led by commercial buildings and multi-family dwellings. In the residential sector, eight provinces posted declines while Ontario reported a record high.
The value of residential building permits was down 4.1 percent to C$4.9 billion (US$3.7 billion) in December. The decrease mainly stemmed from lower construction intentions for multi-family dwellings. Declines were reported in eight provinces. A record high in Ontario was insufficient to offset the declines in British Columbia and Alberta.
In the non-residential sector, the value of building permits fell for the second time in six months, down 11.5 percent to C$2.3 billion (US$1.7 billion) in December, led by lower construction intentions for commercial buildings. Decreases were reported in seven provinces, with Ontario, Alberta and Quebec posting the largest declines.
Municipalities issued C$2.2 billion (US$1.7 billion) worth of permits in the multi-family dwelling component in December, down 7.9 percent from November. The decrease was driven by lower construction intentions for rental-apartments and row houses. A notable gain in apartment-condominiums in Ontario moderated the declines in eight provinces, led by British Columbia and Alberta.
The value of permits for single-family dwellings was down 0.9 percent in December. The largest decreases were reported in Alberta and British Columbia. Ontario, the lone province to report an increase, was up 13 percent, a fifth consecutive monthly advance.
Municipalities approved the construction of 19,589 new dwellings in December, up 1.1 percent from the previous month. The increase was attributable to higher intentions for single-family homes, which rose 9.9 percent to 7,057 new units. Conversely, multi-family dwellings were down 3.3 percent to 12,532 new units.
The value of commercial building permits fell 14.2 percent in December, accounting for almost three-quarters of the non-residential decrease. This was the second consecutive decline and was mainly attributable to lower construction intentions for retail and wholesale outlets, and warehouses. Construction intentions fell in nine provinces, most notably in Ontario and Alberta.
In the institutional component, municipalities issued C$626 million (US$475.4 million) worth of building permits in December, down 6.9 percent from the previous month. Lower construction intentions for educational facilities and medical buildings contributed the most to the decline. Seven provinces registered decreases, led by Alberta. Yukon reported the largest increase among the provinces and territories.
The value of industrial permits fell 9.3 percent in December, following two consecutive monthly increases. The decline stemmed from lower construction intentions for manufacturing structures and primary industry buildings. Decreases were posted in seven provinces, led by Quebec.
Municipalities issued C$2.2 billion (US$1.7 billion) worth of permits in the multi-family dwelling component in December, down 7.9 percent from November. The decrease was driven by lower construction intentions for rental-apartments and row houses. A notable gain in apartment-condominiums in Ontario moderated the declines in eight provinces, led by British Columbia and Alberta.
The value of permits for single-family dwellings was down 0.9 percent in December. The largest decreases were reported in Alberta and British Columbia. Ontario, the lone province to report an increase, was up 13 percent, a fifth consecutive monthly advance.
Municipalities approved the construction of 19,589 new dwellings in December, up 1.1 percent from the previous month. The increase was attributable to higher intentions for single-family homes, which rose 9.9 percent to 7,057 new units. Conversely, multi-family dwellings were down 3.3 percent to 12,532 new units.
In December, the total value of building permits was down in 19 of the 34 census metropolitan areas. Vancouver reported the largest decrease, followed by Edmonton.
The value of building permits in Vancouver fell 35.2 percent in December, following two consecutive monthly advances. The drop was mainly attributable to lower construction intentions for multi-family dwellings.
Following six consecutive monthly increases, the value of permits in Edmonton was down 42.9 percent in December. Lower construction intentions for single-family homes and multi-family dwellings led the decrease.
In contrast, Oshawa and Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo recorded the largest increases, both up 123.3 percent over the previous month. In Oshawa, the gain was attributable to higher construction intentions for single-family homes, while in Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo, multi-family dwellings and single-family homes were responsible for the advance.
The value of building permits totaled C$84.5 billion (US$64.2 billion) in 2016, down 0.8 percent from the previous year.
Declines were recorded in four provinces, led by Alberta. Lower construction intentions were reported in the non-residential sector, while the residential sector posted a record high.
Municipalities issued C$30.4 billion (US$23.1 billion) worth of building permits for non-residential structures in 2016, down 4.4 percent from 2015 and a second consecutive year-over-year decline. Six provinces posted declines, led by Saskatchewan and Alberta, with both provinces reporting lower construction intentions in all three components.
In the residential sector, the value of permits issued for 2016 totaled C$54.1 billion (US$41.1 billion), up 1.3 percent from the previous year and continuing the upward trend that started in 2009. Gains in seven provinces were moderated by a large decrease in Alberta. Ontario led the increase, posting its highest values on record for both single-family and multi-family dwellings.
