Value of Building Permits Declined 7.3% in February

Value of Building Permits - February

Apr 9, 2020

The total value of building permits issued by Canadian municipalities decreased 7.3% to $8.6 billion in February, driven by the residential component. Declines were reported in five provinces, with the largest decrease reported in British Columbia (-39.2% to $1.3 billion). Meanwhile, Alberta reported the fourth consecutive monthly growth, up 4.2% to $1.1 billion.

Single-family permits post largest growth since October 2016

The total value of residential permits decreased 7.3% to $5.3 billion, mostly due to a significant decline in permits for multi-family dwellings. Permits for multi-family dwellings were down 18.1% to $2.8 billion, with the largest decrease originating in the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Vancouver (-$841 million). The decrease in Vancouver was mainly due to an increased number of permits being issued in January to pre-empt an increase in local development fees. Excluding the CMA of Vancouver, the value of permits for multi-family dwellings rose 10.3% on a national level in February. 

The total value of permits for single-family dwellings increased 8.3% to $2.6 billion. These gains were driven by housing developments in Ontario (+$205 million), bringing the value of permits in the province to its highest level since December 2017.

Value of industrial permits down

In February, the value of non-residential permits was down 7.3% to $3.2 billion. This decrease was largely due to declines in the value of industrial permits (-25.3% to $514 million), mainly in the province of Quebec. 

The value of institutional permits declined 4.5% to $705 million. This was largely due to decreases in Alberta (-$74 million) and British Columbia (-$62 million), following strong gains in those provinces in January.

Total value of commercial permits was down 2.2% to $2.0 billion, with declines reported in six provinces.

Source: Statistics Canada, www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200408/dq200408b-eng.htm

Related Articles


Changing Scene

  • Westburne Canada Welcomes Galia Far as New Marketing Director

    Westburne Canada Welcomes Galia Far as New Marketing Director

    In a recent LinkedIn post, Westburne was excited to welcome Galia Far as it’s new Marketing Director at Westburne Canada. With nearly 20 years of experience leading marketing teams across Canada, the UK, and Southeast Asia, Galia brings deep expertise in brand, digital, and performance marketing. She has a strong background in helping B2B and… Read More…

  • EFC Announces CEMRA Executive Leadership Changes During CEMRA Annual Meeting

    EFC Announces CEMRA Executive Leadership Changes During CEMRA Annual Meeting

    In a recent post on LinkedIn, Electro-Federation Canada (EFC) was happy to share information on the CEMRA executive leadership changes that were confirmed during this year’s CEMRA Annual Meeting. Recognition went out to Dave Le Cappelain of K.M. Roberts & Associates Ltd. for his remarkable leadership as Chair of the CEMRA Executive from 2023-2025, while… Read More…


Peers & Profiles