Value of Canadian Building Permits Declines in August
Building permits, August 2025
On Tuesday, Statistics Canada (StatCan) reported that the total value of building permits issued in Canada fell 1.2% in August to CA$11.6 billion, a decline of $139.2 million from July. On a constant dollar basis (2023=100), the total value decreased 1.5% and was down 5.9% year-over-year.
Residential Construction
Residential construction intentions dropped 2.4% ($173.8 million) to $7.0 billion in August. The decline was led by Ontario (-$432.8 million) and Alberta (-$311.1 million), partly offset by gains in British Columbia ($331.4 million) and Quebec ($155.5 million).
The single-family component declined $112.3 million to $2.5 billion, while multifamily construction intentions were down $61.5 million to $4.5 billion.
Across Canada, 20,500 multifamily and 4,100 single-family dwellings were authorized in August, a 0.9% decrease from the previous month.
Nonresidential Construction
The value of nonresidential building permits edged up 0.8% ($34.6 million) to $4.6 billion in August. The institutional component rose $211.3 million, while the commercial (-$134.0 million) and industrial (-$42.6 million) components both declined.
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