According to Statistics Canada, investment in non-residential building construction totaled $14.3 billion in the second quarter, up 1.4 percent compared with the first quarter. The commercial (+$123.7 million) and industrial (+$103.4 million) components were up, while the institutional component declined.
Spending on institutional building construction was down 0.9 percent (-$35.3 million) compared with the first quarter. The decrease follows four consecutive quarterly gains. Nationally, the decline stemmed from lower spending on schools (-$44.3 million), nursing homes (-$25.1 million), as well as penitentiaries, detention centers and courthouses (-$13.6 million). Hospitals, health care centers and clinics were the only building types with a quarterly increase, up $56.3 million.
Provincially, the largest decline for institutional building construction was in Alberta, down $38.0 million. Across Canada, 20 census metropolitan areas (CMAs) reported reduced spending on institutional building construction, with Edmonton (-$16.0 million) and Ottawa (-$14.9 million) showing the largest declines.
Investment was up in six provinces in the second quarter, with Ontario (+$130.6 million) reporting the largest rise, followed by Quebec (+$76.7 million) and British Columbia (+$45.6 million). Every component was up in all three provinces, led by spending on commercial building construction.
The largest quarterly decline was in Alberta (-$63.4 million), reflecting lower spending on commercial (-$42.5 million) and institutional (-$38.0 million) building construction.