Value of Canadian Building Permits Drops in April

On Thursday, Statistics Canada (StatCan) reported that the total value of building permits issued in Canada fell 7.6% in April to CA$12.5 billion. On a constant dollar basis (2023=100), the total value declined 7.7% month-over-month but was up 2.7% year-over-year.

Residential Construction

Residential construction intentions fell $437.7 million to $7.5 billion in April. The multifamily component declined $429.7 million to $4.8 billion, accounting for most of the monthly decrease. The single-family component was virtually unchanged at $2.7 billion.

Across Canada, 19,900 multifamily and 4,100 single-family dwellings were authorized in April, down 8.0% from the previous month. From May 2025 to April, 303,700 multifamily and single-family dwellings were authorized, down from 304,000 during the same period one year earlier.

Nonresidential Construction

The value of nonresidential building permits fell $585.9 million to $5.0 billion in April. The institutional component declined $388.2 million to $1.4 billion, while the industrial component fell $323.2 million to $1.2 billion. The commercial component rose $125.6 million to $2.3 billion, partly offsetting the overall decrease.