According to Statistics Canada, the total value of building permits decreased 3.7 percent to $7.5 billion in August, following increases of 15.5 percent in June and 0.7 percent in July (revised data). The decline was attributable to lower construction intentions in most provinces, mainly British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan.
In the residential sector, municipalities issued $4.7 billion worth of building permits, down 5.1 percent from July. This was the first decline in three months.
Construction intentions for non-residential buildings declined 1.3 percent to $2.8 billion in August, a second consecutive monthly decrease. Municipalities issued $2.3 billion worth of building permits for multi-family dwellings in August, down 8.3 percent from the previous month.
Contractors took out $2.4 billion worth of building permits for single-family dwellings in August, down 1.9 percent from July. This was the first decline in three months.
The number of new dwellings approved by municipalities declined 4.6 percent to 18,709 units. The decrease was attributable to multi-family dwellings, which fell 5.6 percent to 12,675 units, and single-family dwellings, which declined 2.4 percent to 6,034 units.
In the industrial component, the value of building permits declined for a second straight month, down 7.9 percent to $467 million in August. The decline in August was due to lower construction intentions for utilities and transportation buildings.
Institutional construction intentions fell 4.3 percent from July to $631 million in August, following a 42.5 percent decrease the previous month. The decline at the national level in August resulted from lower construction intentions for medical buildings and children's treatment centers.
The value of building permits for commercial buildings rose 1.8 percent to $1.7 billion in August. Higher construction intentions for office buildings and, to a lesser degree, warehouses and laboratories accounted for the growth at the national level.