Canada Building Permits Edge Lower in July

The total value of building permits in Canada edged down 0.1% month-over-month to $11.9 billion in July 2025, after a 9% drop in June. The decline was led by non-residential permits (-$279.2 million), partly offset by gains in the residential sector (+$268.3 million). Within non-residential, industrial (-$252.9 million) and institutional (-$196.0 million) permits fell, while commercial (+$169.7 million) rose, led by Ontario (+$82.5 million). The industrial decline was mainly driven by Ontario (-$190.9 million), while Alberta (-$192.1 million) led institutional losses. In the residential sector, single-family permits grew $143.5 million to $2.6 billion and multi-unit permits rose $124.8 million to $4.7 billion. Nationwide, 20,000 multi-unit and 4,100 single-family dwellings were authorized, up 1.9% from June, with Ontario (+$497.5 million) driving the sector’s overall increase.