Apartments, industrial sector lead building permits surge

OTTAWA — The value of building permits issued by Canadian municipalities rose 6.1% to $9.0 billion in August, according to StatCan, largely because of increases in multi-family and industrial permits. Gains were reported in seven provinces, with more than one-third of the national increase in Quebec. The value of permits for multi-family dwellings rose in every province but Nova Scotia, increasing 18.8% to $3.3 billion. More than half of these gains were in British Columbia, largely because of a single high-value permit in the Greater Vancouver Area. Quebec also contributed to the increase, up $143 million compared with July. The value of permits for single-family dwellings rose 3.2% to $2.4 billion nationally, led by Ontario.