Material Prices Drive Non-Residential Construction Prices Up 0.1% in Q4

The composite price index for non-residential building construction rose 0.1% in the fourth quarter compared with the previous quarter. This change was mainly the result of a slight increase in material prices.

Of the seven census metropolitan areas (CMAs) surveyed, Toronto (+0.5%) and Montréal (+0.3%) reported quarterly increases. These gains were offset by declines in Vancouver and Ottawa–Gatineau, Ontario part (both down 0.3%). 

Year over year, the composite price index for non-residential building construction was up 1.4%. Of the CMAs included in the survey, Halifax (+2.0%) and Toronto (+1.9%) recorded the largest year-over-year increases, while Calgary (+0.7%) recorded the smallest gain from the fourth quarter of 2013.

Table 1: Non-residential building construction price index1 – not seasonally adjusted

Source: Statistics Canada, http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/150210/t150210a001-eng.htm.