Apartments drive building permits growth in December

OTTAWA — The total value of building permits issued by Canadian municipalities increased 7.4 percent to $8.7 billion in December, according to StatCan. Increases were reported in five provinces, led by Ontario, where permits rose 10.5 percent to $3.4 billion, and Quebec, which saw a 15.8 percent increase to $2.2 billion. The value of permits for multi-family dwellings was up 15.9 percent to $2.9 billion, mostly due to large projects in the Montreal and Vancouver areas. Conversely, the value of permits for single-family dwellings decreased 3.2 percent to $2.2 billion, with the largest decline in Ontario, where they were down $76 million.