Residential building permits down in August

OTTAWA — Canadian municipalities issued $8.1 billion worth of building permits in August, up 0.4% from July, according to the latest StatCan data. Strength in the non-residential sector drove the increase, while the residential sector declined for the third consecutive month, to $5 billion. That figure represents a 4.4% drop from July. The value of permits for single-family dwellings was down 5.2% to $2.2 billion, maintaining the general downward trend that began in January.