Building permits increase in August

The value of building permits in Canada rose by 11.9 percent in August to $12.5 billion, according to new StatCan data. Both the residential and non-residential sectors saw strong gains, with Ontario causing much of the increase. Residential permits for the month increased 12 percent to $8.4 billion nationally. Gains in Ontario offset losses posted in seven provinces. Construction intentions in the single-family homes component edged up 0.4 percent.