Statistics Canada reported Friday that building permits issued in the country in August totaled $7.3 million, a 7.9 percent increase, following a 2.8 percent decline in July. The increase was driven by the non-residential sector, where permits were up 25.2 percent from July to $3.2 billion, the highest level is almost four years. The increase followed two consecutive monthly declines.
However, the value of permits in the residential sector declined by 2.3 percent from July to $4.2 billion--the second consecutive monthly decline.