Total Value of Building Permits in Canada Rose 6.9% in June

Statistics Canada (StatsCan) reported today (8-4-21) that the total value of building permits rose 6.9% to $10.3 billion in June. Seven provinces contributed to the gain, led by Ontario, which jumped 22.7%. Construction intentions in the residential sector were up 9.1%, while the non-residential sector advanced 2.2%. On a constant dollar basis (2012=100), building permits increased 5.2% to $7.2 billion. Construction intentions for single-family dwellings increased 4.7% to $3.4 billion. Seven provinces saw gains in this component, led by Ontario and Alberta. Overall, the value of residential building permits increased 9.1% to $7.2 billion, following two months of lower construction intentions.

Construction intentions for the non-residential sector were up 2.2% to $3.1 billion in June. Gains were reported in eight provinces, led by Alberta (+32.7%). Industrial permits increased 2.3% to $526 million. Six provinces showed increases, led by Ontario (+37.8%), while Quebec reported the largest decrease (-32.9%).

In Q2 2021, total building permits declined -1.7% to $31.0 billion, compared with the previous period. Despite this, the value of building permits remained the second highest on record and was 38.5% above the same quarter in 2020, which was heavily impacted by COVID-19 restrictions in the construction industry.