November 8, 2023 – The total monthly value of building permits—non-residential and residential—in Canada decreased 6.5% in September to $11.2 billion, reports Statistics Canada, with most of the drop attributed to the monthly decline in the institutional component.

The total monthly value of non-residential permits fell 21.0% from August to $4.0 billion in September. This drop was attributed to the decline in construction intentions for the institutional component (-50.7% to $1.0 billion), following a record high for the component in August ($2.1 billion) which saw permits issued for several high-value construction projects.

Despite the sharp month-over-month decline, the total value of non-residential building permits in September 2023 ($4.0 billion) was 18.7% higher than September 2022 ($3.4 billion), as construction intentions in the non-residential sector have been steadily trending upward over the course of the past 12 months.

The total monthly value of residential permits, meantime, increased 4.3% to $7.2 billion in September, led by a 37.2% monthly increase in construction intentions in British Columbia.

Residential permits issued in the census metropolitan areas (CMAs) of Vancouver, Kelowna, and Victoria together made up 77.3% of the value of residential permits and 79.9% of the number of new dwellings authorized for the province in September.

Monthly gains in the value of residential permits in Newfoundland & Labrador (+20.8%; +$6.0 million), Prince Edward Island (+16.2%; +$4.8 million), Nova Scotia (+10.3%; +$18.5 million), and Quebec (+9.1%; +$105.2 million) offset declines in the remaining five provinces.

Across Canada, 21,700 new dwelling units were authorized through building permits in September—5.6% more than August 2023 and 2.3% more than September 2022.

Overall, 2023 Q3 saw higher total construction intentions for both residential and non-residential permits.

The total value of building permits in the third quarter of 2023 rose 4.9% from the second quarter to $34.6 billion. The residential sector increased 3.4% to $21.2 billion, while the non-residential sector was up 7.3% to $13.5 billion.

All three non-residential components (industrial, commercial, institutional) posted quarterly gains in the value of permits, with the institutional component rising 13.8% to a new quarterly record high of $4.5 billion. This was the fourth consecutive quarterly increase for the institutional component.

In the residential sector, 64,400 new units were authorized through building permits in the third quarter of 2023.

Specifically, 13,600 new single-family homes were authorized, 12.1% higher than the 12,200 authorized in the second quarter. This increase follows six consecutive quarterly declines in construction intentions for the single-family home component.

Peterborough, Ont. (+151.2% with 90 new units) was the CMA with the largest growth rate in the number of new single-family homes planned.