Statistics Canada: Building Permits, August 2022
The total value of building permits in Canada increased 11.9% in August to $12.5 billion. Both the residential sector (+12.0% to $8.4 billion) and non-residential sector (+11.8% to $4.0 billion) saw strong gains, with Ontario causing much of the increase.
On a constant dollar basis (2012=100), the total value of building permits increased 10.0% to $7.5 billion.
Multi-family component pushes residential sector to record high
Residential permits in August increased 12.0% to $8.4 billion nationally. Gains in Ontario offset losses posted in seven provinces.
Construction intentions in the single-family homes component edged up 0.4%.
The value of building permits in the multi-family component sharply increased by 22.2%, largely due to Ontario (+85.3%). A $480 million permit for a luxury skyscraper in Toronto along with several other permits for apartments resulted in the largest recorded monthly value for the province.
Ontario drives non-residential sector
The total permit value of the non-residential sector increased 11.8% to $4.0 billion in August.
The value of building permits in the industrial component rebounded with an increase of 18.1%. Saskatchewan sharply increased by 77.7% with three permits over $5 million. Nova Scotia also had a notable increase with a variety of smaller permits.
Institutional permit values sharply increased by 39.1%, mainly due to Ontario (+224.2%). Permits for a new school in Hamilton and a new building for the George Brown college in Toronto were behind much of the increase.
Construction intentions in the commercial component decreased 1.4%, largely due to Alberta and Saskatchewan. Conversely, Manitoba saw notable growth in August due to a $50 million permit for an office building in Winnipeg.
To explore data using an interactive user interface, visit the Building permits: Interactive Dashboard.
To explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the socioeconomic landscape, please consult the Canadian Economic Dashboard and COVID-19.
For more information on housing, please visit the Housing statistics portal.
Statistics Canada has a Housing Market Indicators dashboard. This web application provides access to key housing market indicators for Canada, by province and by census metropolitan area. The indicators are updated automatically with new information from monthly releases, giving users access to the latest data.
To read the full report, click here.
Note to readers
Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data with current dollar values, which facilitate month-to-month and quarter-to-quarter comparisons by removing the effects of seasonal variations. For information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
Building components
- Single-family dwellings: Residential buildings containing only one dwelling unit (e.g., single-detached house, bungalow, linked home [linked at the foundation]).
- Multi-family dwellings: Residential buildings containing multiple dwelling units (e.g., apartment, apartment condominium, row house, semi-detached house).
- Industrial buildings: Buildings used in the processing or production of goods or related to transportation and communication.
- Commercial buildings: Buildings used in the trade or distribution of goods and services, including office buildings.
- Institutional and government buildings: Buildings used to house public and semi-public services, such as those related to health and welfare, education, or public administration, as well as buildings used for religious services.
Revision
Data are subject to revisions based on late responses, methodological changes and classification updates. Unadjusted data has been revised for the previous month. Seasonally adjusted data has been revised for the previous three months.
For information on trend-cycle data, see the StatCan Blog and Trend-cycle estimates – Frequently asked questions.
Next release
Data on building permits for September will be released on November 3rd.
Source: Statistics Canada
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