Canadian building-permit value falls 17.3% in July

The total value of building permits issued in Canada fell 17.3% in July to $12.2 billion, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday.

The non-residential component dropped by $1.9 billion to $5.0 billion, while the residential component declined by $701.2 million to $7.2 billion.

On a constant-dollar basis, the total was down 17.5% from June and 2.2% from July 2025. Permit values can be volatile from month to month because large projects can move the totals sharply.

Québec recorded $2.7 billion in permits, down 8.4% from June. The province’s residential decline included decreases of $91.8 million for multi-unit construction and $116.1 million for single-family homes.

The figures measure construction intentions represented by permits, not completed building work or housing starts.

Source

Statistics Canada: Building permits, July 2026, released September 16, 2026.