According to a recent Statistics Canada report, building permits fell 5.2 per cent to $6.5 billion in April 2012. The drop follows two consecutive monthly increases and was mainly due to lower construction intentions for institutional buildings and multi-family dwellings in Ontario.
Overall, building permits declined in five provinces, led by Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba and Nova Scotia.
Quebec posted the largest overall gains, fuelled largely by an increase in construction intentions for industrial and commercial buildings.
The non-residential sector experienced an 8.4-per cent decline to $2.7 billion with construction intentions down in six provinces; led mainly by Ontario.
The value of building permits fell 43 per cent to $556 million in the institutional component, fuelled by a reduction in intentions for government buildings and medical facilities in Ontario.
The commercial component experienced a 1.9-per cent increase to $1.6 billion in April for its third consecutive monthly increase. The gains stemmed from four provinces, with Alberta and British Columbia experiencing the most significant boost in construction intentions; mainly due to increased construction intentions for office buildings.
The industrial component increased by 34.7 per cent to $554 million, following a 42.4-per cent decline in March. Eight provinces experiencing gains in construction intentions in April, with Quebec leading all provinces in the industrial component, due mainly to an increase in building intentions for transportation buildings and manufacturing plants.
Total building permits values fell in 19 out of 34 metropolitan areas with Toronto, Ont., St. John’s, Nfld., and Edmonton, Alta., experiencing the largest declines.
The biggest increases were experienced in Calgary, Alta., and Montreal, Que.
In the residential sector, the total value of permits fell 2.8 per cent to $3.8 billion in April for its fourth consecutive monthly decrease. The drop in construction intentions was mainly due to decreases in intentions for multi-family dwellings in Ontario and single-family dwellings in Alberta.
To read the full report, click here.
Source: Statistics Canada
