Building permits down in December

OTTAWA — Municipalities issued $7.2 billion worth of building permits in December, down 6.6% from November, according to StatCan. Lower construction intentions were recorded for all components, led by commercial buildings and multi-family dwellings. In the residential sector, eight provinces posted declines while Ontario reported a record high. The value of residential building permits was down 4.1% to $4.9 billion in December. The decrease mainly stemmed from lower construction intentions for multi-family dwellings. Declines were reported in eight provinces. A record high in Ontario was insufficient to offset the declines in British Columbia and Alberta.