Municipalities issued $7.2 billion worth of building permits in December, down 6.6% from November. Lower construction intentions were recorded for all components, led by commercial buildings and multi-family dwellings. In the residential sector, eight provinces posted declines while Ontario reported a record high.

In the non-residential sector, the value of building permits fell for the second time in six months, down 11.5% to $2.3 billion in December, led by lower construction intentions for commercial buildings. Decreases were reported in seven provinces, with Ontario, Alberta and Quebec posting the largest declines.

The value of residential building permits was down 4.1% to $4.9 billion in December. The decrease mainly stemmed from lower construction intentions for multi-family dwellings. Declines were reported in eight provinces. A record high in Ontario was insufficient to offset the declines in British Columbia and Alberta.