Latest StatCan figures show Ontario driving growth in both residential and non-residential permits
The total value of building permits issued across Canada rose 17% in September from August to $9.4 billion, according to figures from Statistics Canada.
The total value of residential permits issued in September, including single family and multi-family dwellings, rose by 6.9% in September from August to $6.0 billion. Broken down, the value of permits issued for single family homes rose 8.9% to $2.8 billion in September, led by Ontario (+18.0%). And for multi-family dwellings, the total value increased by 5.2% to $3.3 billion.
Read more: StatCan: Value of building permits issued across Canada continues to fall
Meanwhile, the total value of non-residential permits was up 40.6% to $3.4 billion in September from August, mostly attributable to large projects in Ontario (+$805 million).
Quarterly levels also experienced gains, with StatCan saying that the value of building permits increased by 16.5% in the third quarter of 2020 – almost returning to levels observed in the fourth quarter of 2019.
“This was the largest gain since the fourth quarter of 2009 when the economy was recovering from the 2008 financial crisis, and possibly reflected the issuance of permits previously delayed as a result of COVID-19,” StatCan said. “All sectors posted gains in the value of permits issued in the third quarter of 2020, with the residential sector soaring to record levels. Residential permits rose 16.8% to $16.9 billion, the highest level since the start of the modern series which dates back to 2002.”
