Residential sector drives April construction spending

OTTAWA — Total investment in building construction increased 2.6% in April to $14.8 billion, according to new data from StatCan. Investment in the residential sector led the growth, rising 3.6% to $10.1 billion, while the non-residential sector edged up 0.3% to $4.7 billion. On a constant dollar basis (2012=100), investment in building construction rose 2.9% to $12.5 billion. In April, expenditures on residential building construction increased on the strength of investment in multi-unit dwellings, up 7.1% to $5.1 billion, while investment in single-family homes edged up 0.3% to $5 billion.