Building permits fall 1.9% to $6.8 billion in May: Statistics Canada

OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says municipalities issued building permits worth $6.8 billion in May, down 1.9 per cent from the previous month.

Major factors were a drop in construction plans for single-family homes in Ontario and a drop in construction plans for commercial buildings in Quebec and Ontario.

The value of non-residential permits dropped 3.3 per cent to $2.5 billion in May, following a 1.9 per cent increase in April.

The value of commercial building permits fell 15.6 per cent to $1.2 billion in May, with fewer plans for office buildings, recreational facilities and distribution warehouses. That was offset in part by a gain of 0.6 per cent to $384 million in the value of industrial permits and a 20.3 per cent increase to $842 million for institutional building permits.

The value of residential building permits slipped 1.1 per cent to $4.3 billion nationally, as a drop in single-family homes more than offset a gain in the increase in the value of permits for multi-family homes.