Statistics Canada reports that the total value of building permits issued by Canadian municipalities increased 4.0% to $9.2 billion in January. Increases were reported in six provinces, led by British Columbia (+52.1% to $2.2 billion).

For more information on housing, please visit the Housing Statistics Portal.

Change in Vancouver’s development costs drives growth in British Columbia and nationally

The majority of January’s national increase in the value of building permits was in British Columbia (+$751 million), largely due to the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Vancouver. The value of permits increased in the CMA of Vancouver by 81.8%, prior to increases in development fees, which came into effect on January 15. Meanwhile, Quebec (-$366 million) and Ontario (-$161 million) reported the largest provincial declines after strong activity in December 2019.

Value of residential permits up for multi- and single-family dwellings

The residential sector reported strong gains in January, increasing 12.7% from December 2019 to $5.8 billion. Permits for multi-family dwellings were up 17.1% to $3.4 billion in January, largely due to multiple projects in the CMA of Vancouver.

The total value of permits for single-family dwellings increased 7.0% to $2.4 billion, mainly due to housing developments in Ontario (+$105 million) and Quebec (+$48 million). The CMA of Brantford reported the largest increase in the value of permits for single-family dwellings (+340.9% to $41 million), a record high for the CMA.

Non-residential sector down due to institutional permits

The value of non-residential permits was down 7.8% to $3.5 billion in January. This decrease was largely due to a decline in the total value of institutional permits (-30.5% to $732 million) following strong gains in December 2019.

Despite increases in seven provinces, the value of commercial permits decreased 0.8% to $2.1 billion, with Quebec reporting the largest decline (-$249 million).

The value of industrial permits offset some of the non-residential decline, rising 6.8% to $682 million, led by Ontario (+$90 million).

See more charts on the Statistics Canada website

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