Canadian Building Permits - May 6, 2013

Canadian building permits rose 8.6 per cent in March to $6.5 billion, the third consecutive monthly advance. Much of the increase was a result of large increases in the Ontario and Alberta non-residential sector which pushed non-residential permits 19 per cent higher while residential permits posted a 1.7 per cent increase.

After a significant decline in February, BC building permits increases a modest 1.7 per cent in March, with balanced contributions to growth from the residential and non-residential sectors. However, on a year-over-year basis, total building permits were close to 7 per cent lower. 

Looking at permit activity in BC's four major census metropolitan areas (CMA),  permits rose 43 per cent in the Kelowna CMA from February, but were 14 per cent lower year-over-year. In the Abbotsford-Mission CMA, permits jumped 70 per cent on a monthly basis but were 21 per cent lower than March 2012. In the Vancouver CMA, permits fell 12 per cent on both a monthly basis and year-over-year. Finally, in the Victoria CMA, permits more than doubled compared to February and were 9 per cent higher than March 2012.