According to Statistics Canada, the total value of building permits issued by Canadian municipalities fell 12.9 percent to $6.1 billion in January, following a 6.1 percent increase the previous month.
Construction intentions in the non-residential sector fell 22.8 percent to $2.0 billion in January, following a 15.0 percent increase the previous month.
The value of permits in the residential sector declined 7.0 percent to $4.1 billion, following a 1.5 percent increase in December.
Canadian municipalities issued institutional building permits worth $387 million in January, down 49.8 percent from December. This followed a 15.2 percent increase the previous month.
The value of commercial building permits fell 8.0 percent to $1.3 billion, following a 15.1 percent increase in December. This was the result of lower construction intentions for a variety of commercial buildings, including hotels and restaurants, warehouses and office buildings.
In the industrial component, the value of permits was down 22.8 percent in January to $337 million, following a 14.2 percent increase the previous month. The decrease was mainly attributable to lower construction intentions for transportation-related buildings and, to a lesser extent, manufacturing plants in several provinces.
The value of permits for multi-family dwellings declined 21.0 percent 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 percent from December.