Canada Building Permits Fall in May

Canada Building Permits Fall in May

Canada's building permits fell by 1.7% month-on-month to C$12.4 billion in May 2026, slowing from a decline of 7.6% in the previous month and contrasting with market expectations of a 2.4% increase.

The decrease was driven by the non-residential sector, where permit values dropped 6.1% to C$ 4.7 billion, led by a decline in the industrial components by C$341.0 million, while an increase in the commercial component tempered the decline by C$81.4 million.

In contrast, the value of residential permits increased 1.2% to C$7.7 billion, as a C$161.9 million increase in multi-unit permits more than offset a C$70.7 million decline in single-family permits.

Compared with the same month a year earlier, the total value of building permits was 4.5% lower.

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