Monday, December 8, 2008

Building permit values drop 15.7%

The value of building permits in October totaled $5.4 billion — a 15 per cent decrease from the previous month, Statistics Canada said Thursday.

Non-residential permits dropped 23.9 per cent to $2.4 billion, as activity slowed in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The federal agency noted there were declining construction intentions for medical projects and maintenance buildings in Ontario, education institutions in Saskatchewan, and utility buildings in Alberta.

In the commercial sector, demand for office and recreation buildings in Ontario and Alberta fell.

In the residential sector, permits dropped 7.8 per cent to $3.0 billion, the federal agency said.

The largest declines were recorded in British Columbia as applications for multi-family units waned. The value of single-family permits fell for the fourth consecutive month, declining six per cent to $2.0 billion in October.

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