Canadian Design and Construction Report staff writer
Construction intentions in Ontario climbed in April, offsetting national declines driven by steep drops in British Columbia.
Ontario saw a strong increase in building permit values in April 2025, even as the national total declined by 6.6 per cent to $11.7 billion, Statistics Canada reported. The province posted a gain of $299.3 million, helping to counter a sharp $1.2 billion drop in British Columbia.
Non-residential construction in Ontario led the way, surging 20.8 per cent to $2.0 billion. This was driven by a $259 million increase in commercial building permits, including significant investment in office buildings in the Toronto census metropolitan area. Industrial permit values also jumped by $136.7 million, while institutional construction intentions dipped slightly by $42.9 million.
Nationally, the residential sector saw a sharp decline of 11.6 percent to $7.4 billion, with multi-family dwellings accounting for most of the drop. British Columbia was again the main contributor to the downturn, with Vancouver’s slowdown leading to an $837.4 million decline in multi-family construction. The number of residential units authorized across the country fell by 6.5 per cent from March.
Despite this national slowdown, Ontario’s overall increase in permit values highlights its continued strength in the construction sector—particularly in commercial and industrial development—even as other provinces see cooling activity.
StatsCan notes that on a constant dollar basis, the value of permits fell 6.6% month-over-month and 16.4 per cent year-over-year, following unusually strong permit activity in April 2024.
