According to Statistics Canada, the total value of building permits issued by Canadian municipalities increased 7.4 percent to $8.7 billion in December. Increases were reported in five provinces, led by Ontario (+10.5 percent to $3.4 billion) and Quebec (+15.8 percent to $2.2 billion). For 2019 overall, municipalities issued $102.4 billion worth of permits, up 2.6 percent compared with 2018.
The total value of permits for multi-family dwellings was up 15.9 percent to $2.9 billion in December, mostly due to large projects in the census metropolitan areas (CMAs) of Montréal and Vancouver. Conversely, the total value of permits for single-family dwellings decreased 3.2 percent to $2.2 billion, with the largest decline in Ontario (-$76 million).
The value of commercial permits rose 19.7 percent to $2.0 billion in December, largely due to plans for the multi-use commercial development, "Royalmount," in the CMA of Montréal.
Meanwhile, the value of institutional permits rose to its highest level since September 2017 (+10.8 percent to $1.0 billion), largely due to permits for the redevelopment of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.
The total value of industrial permits declined 21.0 percent to $583 million following strong gains in November.
In 2019, municipalities issued $102.4 billion worth of permits, up 2.6 percent compared with 2018. Gains were reported in six provinces, with the largest increase in Ontario (+$2.8 billion). Alberta recorded the largest decrease (-$1.8 billion), with declines in all building types.
The value of permits in the CMA of Toronto increased 1.9 percent to $19.2 billion, while several other Ontario CMAs also reported notable gains. The CMA of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo posted the largest increase in the country (+53.5 percent to $2.2 billion), largely due to an increase in the value of permits for multi-family dwellings.
The Edmonton CMA reported the largest decrease in the total value of building permits (-21.5 percent to $3.9 billion), accounting for more than half of the overall decline in Alberta. This was the fifth consecutive annual decrease in the CMA of Edmonton, reflecting the challenging economic environment in the province.
Building intentions in the non-residential sector increased 9.4 percent to $40.4 billion, with gains in seven provinces. All components reported increases, led by commercial permits (+7.5 percent to $23.2 billion).
Conversely, the value of permits in the residential sector declined 1.3 percent to $62.0 billion. The value of permits for single-family dwellings fell 4.9 percent to $26.5 billion, its lowest level since 2009. Permits for multi-family dwellings offset some of this decline, rising 1.5 percent to a record $35.5 billion.