Building permits, September 2017

Building permits rose in September for the first time in three months, as strength in the non-residential sector outweighed some weakness in the residential sector. Canadian municipalities issued $7.9 billion worth of building permits in September, up 3.8 percent from the previous month. A 1.7 percent decrease in the residential sector was more than offset by a 13.9 percent increase in the non-residential sector. Municipalities issued $23.4 billion in building permits in the third quarter, up one percent from the previous quarter. The value of institutional building permits reached $2.7 billion in the quarter. The multi-family component totaled $7.2 billion this quarter, up 1.7 percent from the last quarter and the third time in four quarters that the value has exceeded $7 billion. Nationally, the commercial component decreased 3.3 percent to $4.3 billion in the third quarter.