Statistics Canada reported Wednesday that contractors took out building permits worth $6.6 billion in June, down 10.3 percent from May and the first decrease in six months. Despite this decline, the total value of building permits continued to trend upward. The decrease in June came mainly from the non-residential sector in Quebec and the residential sector in Ontario.
After three consecutive monthly increases, the total value of permits in the residential sector declined 12.9 percent to $4 billion in June. Canadian municipalities authorized the construction of 17,656 new dwellings in June, down 12.2 percent from May. The decline was attributable to both multi-family dwellings, which fell 16 percent to 11,541 units, and single-family dwellings, which decreased 4.1 percent to 6,115 units.
In the non-residential sector, the total value of building permits decreased 6.1 percent to $2.7 billion in June. Canadian municipalities issued $1.4 billion worth of commercial building permits in June, down 9.5 percent from May. The decline was the result of lower construction intentions in a variety of commercial buildings, including retail complexes and office buildings.
