According to Statistics Canada, the total value of building permits increased 1.3 percent to $10.3 billion in October, led by gains in British Columbia (+15.0 percent) and Ontario (+4.5 percent). Construction intentions in the non-residential sector were up 4.2 percent, while the residential sector edged down 0.1 percent.
Residential construction intentions edged down 0.1 percent to $6.9 billion, with Ontario (-2.2 percent) and British Columbia (-4.9 percent) pulling down the sector. Multi-family units fell 8.8 percent at the national level, following a strong September, mostly due to fewer higher valued permits issued in Ontario and British Columbia. The value of permits for single-family homes rose 10.8 percent in October, led by Ontario (+15.1 percent). Saskatchewan was the only province to report a decline (-8.6 percent).
Construction intentions for institutional buildings jumped 63.2 percent, with a $254 million Mills Memorial hospital project in Terrace, British Columbia helping construction intentions for the province to increase substantially (+528.9 percent) compared with the previous month.
Commercial building permits rose 10.1 percent for the month, with Ontario leading the way (+36.8 percent) with notable projects in Toronto such as the office renovation for the SickKids foundation.
September's strong growth in industrial building permits, which largely reflected the Calgary International Airport's Airside Maintenance expansion project, returned to more normal levels in October.
Overall, the total value of building permits in the non-residential sector at the national level rose 4.2 percent to $3.4 billion, 16.7 percent above the pre-pandemic level in February 2020.