The total value of building permits issued by Canadian municipalities fell 12.9 per cent to $6.1 billion in January, following a 6.1 per cent increase the previous month, said Statistics Canada Friday. Lower construction intentions for non-residential buildings in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario were responsible for much of the national decline.
Building Permits, Canada
In the residential sector, the value of permits declined 7 per cent to $4.1 billion, following a 1.5 per cent increase in December, StatsCan said. Decreases were registered in every province except Saskatchewan.
The value of permits for multi-family dwellings declined 21 per cdent to $1.5 billion in January, a fourth consecutive monthly decline. This marked the lowest level for the component since March 2013.
Municipalities issued building permits for single-family dwellings worth $2.6 billion in January, up 3.5 per cdent from December. This was the second consecutive monthly advance.
Construction intentions in the non-residential sector fell 22.8 per cent to $2 billion in January, following a 15 per cent increase the previous month. Decreases were recorded in eight provinces, with Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario accounting for most of the drop. Quebec registered the largest increase at 54.3 per cent.
By province, after posting a 32.6 per centincrease in December, which came mainly from permits issued for institutional projects, Alberta registered a 27.2 per cent decrease in January.