Canadian and Design Construction writer
The total value of investment in Canadian building construction fell $448.3 million, or 1.9 per cent, to $23.4 billion in January, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.
The decline was driven by a drop in the residential sector, which fell three per cent, partially offset by a slight increase in non-residential investment, which edged up 0.8 per cent. On a year-over-year basis, investment in building construction grew 7.8 per cent.
In constant dollars the total value of investment decreased two per cent from December to $21.4 billion, but was up 4.3 per cent compared with January 2025.
Investment in residential building construction fell $504.3 million to $16.4 billion. Both single-family and multi-unit components posted declines. Single-family home construction dropped $255.2 million to $7.3 billion, with Ontario and British Columbia accounting for most of the decrease. Multi-unit construction fell $249.1 million to $9.1 billion, led by a $220.6 million decline in Quebec and broad decreases across several other provinces and one territory.
Meanwhile, non-residential building investment increased $56 million to $7.0 billion. Gains in commercial and institutional construction offset a slight decline in the industrial component. Commercial investment rose $38.2 million to $3.5 billion, with Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia reporting the largest increases.
Institutional construction grew $23.5 million to $2.1 billion, while industrial construction edged down $5.7 million to $1.3 billion, mainly due to a drop in Quebec.
For more information on construction statistics, visit the Construction statistics portal. Housing-related data are available through the Housing statistics portal.
