Canadian municipalities issued building permits worth $6.9 billion in May, up 13.8 percent from April, according to Statistics Canada. The increase in May resulted primarily from higher construction intentions for commercial buildings in Ontario and Manitoba, as well as multi-family dwellings in British Columbia.
In the residential sector, the value of permits rose 9.5 percent to $4.1 billion in May. Higher residential construction intentions were registered in eight provinces, led by British Columbia, followed by Ontario and the other western provinces. Nova Scotia posted the largest decline following two consecutive monthly gains.
In the nonresidential sector, the value of permits rose 20.8 percent to $2.8 billion. Gains were posted in seven provinces, led by Ontario and Manitoba. Quebec, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia posted declines following large increases in all three provinces in April.
Residential
The value of permits for multi-family dwellings rose 16.1 percent to $1.9 billion in May. Higher construction intentions for apartments and apartments-condominium projects in British Columbia and, to a lesser extent, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan contributed to this gain. Nova Scotia, Quebec and Prince Edward Island posted declines.
The value of building permits for single-family dwellings rose 4.6 percent to $2.3 billion in May. This was the second consecutive monthly increase. Advances were posted in eight provinces, with Ontario recording the largest gain. British Columbia and Saskatchewan registered declines.
Canadian municipalities approved the construction of 17,415 new dwellings in May, up 11.8 percent from April. This increase was mostly attributable to multifamily dwellings, which rose 17.3 percent to 11,330 units. The number of single-family dwellings increased 2.8 percent to 6,085 units.
Nonresidential
The value of permits for commercial buildings rose 39.4 percent to $1.8 billion. The advance came from higher construction intentions in a variety of commercial buildings, including warehouses, retail complexes, recreational facilities as well as hotels and restaurants. Gains were posted in nine provinces, with Ontario and Manitoba registering the largest advances.
In the industrial component, the value of permits rose 22.4 percent to $441 million. The increase was largely attributable to higher construction intentions for manufacturing plants in Quebec and Alberta, as well as primary industry buildings in British Columbia. Declines were registered in three provinces, with Ontario posting the largest decrease.
In the institutional component, the value of permits fell 16.6 percent to $555 million. This followed a 37.5 percent increase in April. The value of institutional building permits was down in five provinces. The decrease in May resulted from lower construction intentions for government buildings in Quebec and medical facilities in Saskatchewan. Alberta and British Columbia recorded large increases, as a result of higher construction intentions for educational institutions.
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