Investment in Building Construction, July 2026
September 30, 2026
The total value of investment in building construction increased $270.9 million (+1.2%) to $23.6 billion in July. The non-residential sector rose 3.2%, while the residential sector edged up 0.3%. Year over year, investment in building construction grew 8.1% in July.
On a constant dollar basis (2023=100), the total value of investment in building construction reached $21.2 billion in July, increasing 1.0% from the previous month and 4.7% from one year earlier.
Chart 1
Investment in building construction, seasonally adjusted
Institutional component leads non-residential growth
In July, the value of non-residential investment in building construction increased $226.9 million to $7.4 billion. This growth was driven by the institutional component (+7.4%), followed by the industrial (+2.8%) and commercial (+0.8%) components.
Investment in institutional construction was up $159.3 million to $2.3 billion in July. Ontario (+$151.0 million) drove the increase, driven by new hospital construction, which was underlined in the June 2026 building permits release. In July, gains in Ontario and three other provinces were partially offset by declines in six provinces and three territories, led by Alberta (-$8.9 million).
Investment in industrial construction rose $40.6 million to $1.5 billion in July. Saskatchewan (+$20.3 million) and British Columbia (+$12.5 million) led the increase and were supported by broad gains across four other provinces and two territories.
Meanwhile, investment in commercial construction edged up $27.0 million to $3.5 billion in July. Increases in six provinces and one territory (+$42.6 million) were tempered by a decline in British Columbia (-$14.6 million).
Infographic 1
Investment in residential building construction, July 2026
Chart 2
Investment in residential building construction, seasonally adjusted
Multi-unit construction dampens the growth in the residential sector
In July, investment in residential building construction edged up $44.0 million to $16.2 billion. Growth in the single-family component (+3.5%) was moderated by a decline in the multi-unit component (-2.6%).
Investment in single-family construction was up $265.2 million to $7.8 billion in July. Increases were widespread across all provinces, led by Ontario (+$93.5 million) and Alberta (+$68.6 million).
Meanwhile, multi-unit construction decreased $221.2 million to $8.4 billion in July. The decline was primarily attributed to British Columbia (-$76.7 million), Quebec (-$70.9 million) and Ontario (-$43.9 million).
Infographic 2
Investment in non-residential building construction, July 2026
