Statistics Canada: Building Permits, November 2024

The total value of building permits issued in Canada decreased by $739.5 million (-5.9%) to $11.7 billion in November, a second consecutive monthly decline. The residential sector led the decrease, followed by the non-residential sector.

On a constant dollar basis (2017=100), the total value of building permits issued in November declined 5.8% from the previous month and was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Multi-unit construction intentions push-down the residential sector

The total value of residential permits decreased by $588.1 million (-7.5%) to $7.2 billion in November. Multi-unit construction intentions (-$522.3 million) drove the decrease, while the single-family component (-$65.8 million) contributed modestly to the decline.

The decrease in the multi-unit component in November was driven by British Columbia (-$375.4 million), largely due to lower construction intentions in the Vancouver census metropolitan area (-$346.7 million).

Across Canada, 17,300 multi-family dwellings and 4,700 single-family dwellings were authorized in November, representing a 15.0% monthly decrease in the total number of units approved for construction. The 12-month total number of units authorized from December 2023 to November 2024 rose 2.4% to 273,300, compared with 267,000 units authorized over the same period one year earlier.

Ontario non-residential sector decrease is mitigated by gains throughout other provinces

Non-residential construction intentions decreased by $151.4 million (-3.2%) to $4.5 billion in November, driven by Ontario (-$414.2 million). Gains in British Columbia (+$139.4 million), Quebec (+$111.9 million), Prince Edward Island (+$74.1 million) and four other provinces tempered the decline. Overall, the industrial component (-$238.6 million) fell, while the institutional (+$60.9 million) and commercial (+$26.3 million) components increased.

Ontario’s industrial (-$372.5 million) and commercial (-$159.5 million) components decreased in November, contributing to the decrease in the province’s non-residential sector, while the institutional component (+$117.8 million) tempered the decline. In British Columbia, both the institutional (+$92.5 million) and commercial (+$67.0 million) components led the non-residential sector growth in the province. Quebec’s non-residential sector was boosted by growth in the industrial component (+$201.5 million), driven by construction projects for a cathode active precursor materials facility in Bécancour and a large transit service centre in Québec. The commercial component (+$98.3 million) also supported Quebec’s non-residential sector. Prince Edward Island’s institutional component (+$59.0 million) fuelled the province’s non-residential increase.

To explore data using an interactive user interface, visit the Building permits: Interactive Dashboard.

For more information on construction, please visit the Construction statistics portal.

For more information on housing, please visit the Housing statistics portal.

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.

For information on trend-cycle data, see the page Trend-cycle estimates – Frequently asked questions.

Data may not add up to totals as a result of rounding.

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, and buildings used for religious services.

Revision

Data are subject to revisions based on late responses, methodological changes and classification updates. Unadjusted data have been revised for the previous month. Seasonally adjusted data have been revised for the previous three months.

Next release

Data on building permits for December 2024 will be released on February 11, 2025.

Source: Statistics Canada