In April, Canadian municipalities issued building permits worth $7 billion dollars, up 10.5 percent from March, according to a report Wednesday from Statistics Canada. The advance in April was the fourth consecutive monthly increase.
Construction intentions for residential dwellings rose 21 percent to $4.4 billion. It was the second straight monthly increase and the highest level in 10 months. All provinces posted gains except Alberta and Nova Scotia. These two provinces had posted large increases in March. Construction intentions for multi-family dwellings rose 51.9 percent to $2.1 billion, a second consecutive monthly advance. The value of building permits for single-family dwellings increased 1.1 percent to $2.2 billion in April, the third increase in four months.
In the non-residential sector, the value of permits fell 3.6 percent to $2.6 billion, following two consecutive monthly gains. Non-residential building permits were down in April, as an increase in construction intentions for commercial buildings was not enough to offset declines in the institutional and industrial components. Construction intentions for institutional buildings fell 27.2 percent to $715 million, following a 119.2 percent increase the previous month.