Construction spending rises with strong single-family numbers

OTTAWA — Total investment in building construction increased by 1.3 percent to $15.9 billion in February, StatCan reported, the fourth consecutive month-over-month growth. Gains were reported in all components of residential and non-residential investment. Investment in residential construction rose 1.4 percent to $10.7 billion, including a 1.9 percent increase in single-unit construction for an investment of $5.2 billion. This rate of growth surpassed that observed in the multi-unit component partly due to major projects in the Vancouver area. Multi-unit gains in British Columbia outweighed declines in seven other provinces.