According to Statistics Canada, municipalities issued building permits worth $7.4 billion in February, up 15.5 percent from January. This growth followed a 9.5 percent decline the previous month and was largely the result of higher construction intentions for commercial buildings in Alberta, single-family dwellings in Ontario and institutional structures in Quebec.
The value of residential building permits increased 5.0 percent to $4.2 billion in February, following a 12.7 percent decrease the previous month. Municipalities issued $3.2 billion worth of non-residential building permits in February, up 33.1 percent from January.
The value of permits for single-family dwellings increased 9.6 percent to $2.4 billion in February, ending a string of six consecutive monthly declines. Construction intentions for multi-family dwellings edged down 0.6 percent to $1.8 billion in February, a second consecutive monthly decline.
Municipalities approved the construction of 16,005 new dwellings in February, up 2.2 percent from the previous month. The advance resulted from single-family dwellings, which were up 10.5 percent to 6,105 new units. Multi-family dwellings were down 2.4 percent to 9,900 new units.
Construction intentions for commercial structures were up 56.6 percent to $2.0 billion in February, their highest value since May 2007. Higher construction intentions for recreational facilities, retail complexes and office buildings contributed the most to the advance at the national level.
The value of permits for institutional buildings was up 18.7 percent to $680 million in February, ending a string of three consecutive monthly declines. The increase resulted mostly from higher construction intentions for nursing and retirement homes, educational institutions, and other government buildings.
In the industrial component, the value of building permits declined 8.4 percent to $483 million in February, following a 32.2 percent advance the previous month. Lower construction intentions for utility and transportation-related buildings were responsible for much of the decrease.