Canadian municipalities approved the construction of
18,037 new dwellings in May (up 7.2 per cent compared
with April), consisting of 12,032 multi-family units ( up 11.8
per cent) and 6,005 single-family units ( down 1.0 per cent).
Ontario contributed the most to the increase in new
dwellings approved in May, bringing the year-to-date
number of new dwellings approved in that province to
35,860. In comparison, Ontario approved the construction
of 30,661 new dwellings from January to May 2016.
British Columbia reported a second consecutive
monthly gain in new multi-family units approved following
a notable decrease in March 2017, while more than 100
new multi-family units were approved in Prince Edward
Island for just the fourth month since January 1989.
Non-residential sector: Commercial and industrial
components register increases
The value of building permits issued for non-residential
structures rose 5.6 per cent in May to $2.7 billion, marking
a third consecutive monthly increase. Alberta and New
Brunswick led the five provinces that posted gains in the
non-residential sector in May.
The commercial component rose 12.9 per cent in May
to $1.5 billion, as increases were registered across several
building categories, led by retail and wholesale
construction intentions. Every province except Nova Scotia
and Alberta reported gains in the value of commercial
building permits.
The industrial component rose for a third consecutive
month, up 9.8 per cent in May to $545 million. This
increase was mainly due to higher construction intentions
for maintenance buildings in Ontario.
In contrast, the value of building permits issued for
institutional structures fell 9.1 per cent to $719 million in
May. This followed notable construction intentions in April
for government administration buildings and medical
facilities. Provinces and census metropolitan areas
The total value of building permits rose in seven
provinces in May, led by Ontario and Alberta. Meanwhile,
construction intentions were up in 22 of 36 census
metropolitan areas (CMAs), led by Hamilton, Toronto,
Calgary, and the Ontario part of Ottawa–Gatineau.
In Ontario, the gain in May stemmed primarily from the
residential sector, the result of increases in both the multi-
family and single-family components in the Toronto CMA.
The industrial component in Ontario rose for a third
consecutive month, with the gain in May mostly
attributable to higher construction intentions for
maintenance buildings in the Hamilton CMA. The
commercial component, specifically the hotel and
restaurant category, led the increase in the total value of
building permits in the Ontario part of the Ottawa–
Gatineau CMA.
The increase in construction intentions in Alberta in May
stemmed from institutional structures, as well as multi-
family dwellings. This gain coincided with a notable
increase in the multi-family component in the Calgary
CMA, but was moderated by the Edmonton CMA, which
registered lower construction intentions in all building
components for the month, except institutional structures.
Fort McMurray
May 2017 marks the one-year anniversary of the start
of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire.
During this period, the municipality of Wood Buffalo
issued record levels of both the unadjusted number of
building permits and the unadjusted value of building
permits for residential dwellings.
In the 12 months to May, 1,817 residential building
permits worth $493 million were issued for Wood Buffalo,
compared to an annual average of 1,311 residential
building permits totalling $194 million since the beginning
of the 21st century. In May 2017 alone, Wood Buffalo
issued 305 residential building permits worth $92 million,
the highest monthly levels for this municipality since
January 2000.
Source: Statistics Canada
The Canadian Design and Construction Report — Summer 2017 – 17