Canadian non-residential construction price index declines in Q3

According to Statistics Canada, the composite price index for non-residential building construction declined 0.4 percent in the third quarter compared with the previous quarter. This was the first quarterly decline since the first quarter of 2010. The decrease was mainly the result of lower material prices reported by contractors in the structural trades.

Of the seven census metropolitan areas surveyed, Calgary and Edmonton recorded the largest decreases (both -1.3 percent), followed by Montréal (-0.6 percent). Halifax, Toronto and Vancouver reported the only increases (all +0.3 percent).

Year over year, the composite price index for non-residential building construction rose 0.5 percent. The largest year-over-year increase was recorded in Toronto (+1.8 percent), while Edmonton (-1.6 percent) and Calgary (-1.2 percent) both reported decreases compared with the third quarter of 2014.