According to Statistics Canada, municipalities issued $7.8 billion worth of building permits in April, down 4.6 percent from March. Declines were reported in every component except commercial buildings.
In the residential sector, the value of permits issued by municipalities fell 4.3 percent to $5.1 billion in April. Five provinces posted declines led by British Columbia.
In the multi-family dwelling component, municipalities issued $2.7 billion worth of building permits in April, down 5.2 percent from March. Four provinces contributed to the drop, with British Columbia and Alberta recording the largest decreases.
The value of single-family permits fell 3.3 percent to $2.3 billion in April, a fourth consecutive monthly decline. Eight provinces registered declines, led by Ontario and British Columbia. Conversely, Alberta recorded the largest gain, up $46 million from March.
Municipalities approved the construction of 19,372 new dwellings in April, up 3.6 percent from the previous month. The rise was mainly attributable to multi-family dwellings, up 5.0 percent to 14,189 new units. Single-family dwellings edged down 0.2 percent to 5,183 new units.
The value of non-residential building permits fell 5.2 percent to $2.8 billion in April, following a 1.7 percent increase in March. The value of non-residential building permits declined in four provinces, led by British Columbia and Ontario. Meanwhile, three of the four Atlantic provinces reported higher building permit values.
The value of industrial permits fell 22.6 percent in April to $510 million. The decline stemmed from lower construction intentions for agricultural buildings, utilities buildings and transportation terminals. Six provinces posted decreases, with Ontario accounting for approximately two-thirds of the decline.
In the institutional component, the value of building permits was down 4.9 percent to $556 million in April, a third consecutive monthly decline. Four provinces posted decreases, led by Ontario. In contrast, Quebec and Alberta recorded the largest increases.
The value of commercial building permits rose 1.7 percent in April to $1.7 billion, the third increase in four months. Quebec, Saskatchewan and Ontario led the seven provinces that reported gains.