According to Statistics Canada, the total value of building permits fell 14.5 percent to $6.7 billion in May, following two months of double-digit gains.
In the residential sector, the value of permits declined 13.5 percent to $3.9 billion in May, ending a string of three consecutive monthly increases.
Canadian municipalities issued non-residential building permits worth $2.8 billion in May, down 16.0 percent from April. This decline followed gains of 24.8 percent in March and 31.7 percent in April.
The value of multi-family dwelling permits fell for a second consecutive month, down 22.9 percent to $1.6 billion in May. Contractors took out $2.3 billion worth of building permits for single-family dwellings in May, down 5.5 percent from the previous month. This was the third decline in four months.
The value of permits for institutional buildings fell 34.0 percent to $867 million in May, after posting gains of 83.7 percent in March and 88.1 percent in April. The decrease at the national level resulted from lower construction intentions for medical facilities, which recorded a large increase in April.
In the industrial component, construction intentions fell 15.6 percent to $408 million in May, following three straight monthly advances. The decline originated from lower construction intentions for utilities buildings and transportation-related buildings.
Commercial building permit values totaled $1.5 billion in May, edging down 0.4 percent from a month earlier. Lower intentions for retail complexes, hotels and restaurants, warehouses as well as other minor commercial projects more than offset increased intentions for recreational buildings, office buildings and laboratories.