Falling non-residential construction pulled the value of building permits to a second straight monthly decline in November, Statistics Canada said Monday.

Builders took out $4.1 billion worth of permits, down 3.9% from October. That followed a 5% decline the month before.

StatsCan said construction intentions in the non-residential sector declined 12.1% to $1.3 billion, the lowest level in 19 months. All three components in the non-residential sectors – industrial, commercial and institutional – experienced a second consecutive month of weakening.

Ontario recorded the largest drop in non-residential intentions.

The value of housing permits edged up 0.4% to $2.8 billion, as building intentions for multi-residential projects remained strong. The value of permits for single-family homes declined slightly from September’s record level of $2 billion.


In a separate release, prices for new houses across the country in November posted their biggest gain in 21 months, rising 0.7% from October.

StatsCan said that the year-over-year increase in November in its new housing price index was 5%, unchanged from October’s 12-month increase.

St. Catharines-Niagara led the way with a monthly increase of 1.6%, followed by Quebec City up 1.2%; Toronto, up 1.1%; and London, up 1%. Higher land values contributed to the increases said StatsCan.