Building permit tally slips in February

OTTAWA — Canadian municipalities issued $7.5 billion worth of building permits in February, down 2.5 per cent from January.

Statistics Canada said Thursday the decrease was mainly the result of a drop in plans for singlefamily dwellings and institutional structures.

The value of residential building permits issued fell 1.5 per cent to $5 billion in February, with the decrease for single-family homes construction permits offset in part by an increase in the multifamily component.

Plans for single-family dwellings fell 5.4 per cent to $2.6 billion, while multi-family construction plans grew 3.0 per cent to $2.4 billion in February.

Building permits for nonresidential buildings fell 4.5 per cent from January to $2.4 billion in February.

The institutional component fell 16.2 per cent to $609 million mainly due to lower construction intentions for government buildings and elementary schools, while the value of permits for industrial structures fell 2.7 per cent to $395 million.

The commercial category rose 1.0 per cent to $1.4 billion.

Municipalities in the Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo census metropolitan area issued permits worth $101.5 million in February, down from $103.9 million in January.

In Hamilton, $165.4 million in permits were issued, down from $240.7 million in January.

The local numbers are seasonally adjusted.