Building permits down for second month

OTTAWA — Canadian municipalities issued $7.5 billion worth of building permits in August, StatCan reports, falling 5.5% from July which in turn saw a decline from June. The year-to-date value of building permits, however, is up 8.7% compared with the same period in 2016, reflecting a $3.1 billion increase in multi-family dwellings. While total construction intentions for multi-family dwellings declined by 6% in August, an upward trend in the sector since 2009 has been closing the gap with single-family construction.