Building permit values stay strong in April

The total value of building permits remained at historically high levels in April, according to new StatCan data, edging down 0.5 percent to $11.1 billion following the record set in March. The slight pullback was mainly due to declines in the residential sector in British Columbia and Quebec, which outweighed national gains in the non-residential sector. Residential building permits for the month fell 6.7 percent to $7.7 billion in April. Despite the decrease, this was the second highest value on record.