Value of Building Permits Rose 6.2% in June

Building Permits

July 31, 2020

The $687 million Oakridge Centre mixed use redevelopment project in the city of Vancouver helped raise the total national value of building permits 6.2% to $8.1 billion in June, to a level comparable to pre-COVID levels. Overall, seven provinces reported gains for the month.

Residential permits rise

The total value of residential permits was up 7.0% to $5.3 billion, with gains posted in six provinces. British Columbia posted its third largest value on record for residential permits in June, up 20.4% to $1.3 billion due to large projects such as the Oakridge Centre redevelopment. 

The value of permits for single-family homes increased 6.6% to $2.1 billion, driven by gains in Quebec (+14.6%) and Ontario (+7.2%). 

The value of permits issued for multi-family dwellings rose for the third consecutive month, up 7.3% to $3.2 billion, largely due to major projects in the census metropolitan area of Vancouver (+43.8%). 

Institutional permits drive non-residential growth 

The value of non-residential permits rose 4.6% to $2.7 billion in June. 

Institutional permits were up 47.7% to $841 million, driven by gains in British Columbia (+162.8%) and Ontario (+60.3%). 

In contrast, commercial (-9.1% to $1.3 billion) and industrial (-4.0% to $591 million) permits were down in June, following strong gains for both components in May.

Largest quarterly decline since the 2008 financial crisis 

The second quarter of 2020 started with record declines in April, following the implementation of COVID-19-related measures by businesses and governments. The easing of those measures in May allowed construction intentions to bounce back and continue to advance in June. Despite the rebound seen in the last two months of the quarter, the value of building permits was down 12.8% compared with the first quarter, a fourth consecutive quarterly decline. The second quarter decrease was the largest reported since the fourth quarter of 2008, during the financial crisis.

Compared to the second quarter of 2019, the value of permits declined 17.4% nationally. Losses were reported across all provinces and territories except Newfoundland and Labrador, where quarterly gains in the institutional sector drove the increase in the total value of permits of 25.0%.

Source: Statistics Canada, www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200731/dq200731c-eng.htm?CMP=mstatcan

Related Articles


Latest Articles


Changing Scene

  • Mac’s II Agencies Announce Addition to Project & Specification Sales Team

    Mac’s II Agencies Announce Addition to Project & Specification Sales Team

    July 10, 2025 Mac’s II Agencies is pleased to announce that Drazen Jerkovic will be joining their Project & Specification Sales team in the Lighting Division later this fall. With over 25 years of experience in the lighting and electrical industry, Drazen is a highly respected consultant known for his technical knowledge and deep understanding of project delivery…. Read More…

  • Intralec Named New Sales Agency Partner for IDEAL Electrical in Central & Southwestern Ontario

    Intralec Named New Sales Agency Partner for IDEAL Electrical in Central & Southwestern Ontario

    July 7, 2025 Intralec Electrical Products is proud to announce our new partnership with IDEAL Electrical as their sales agency for the Central & Southwestern Ontario regions. As a Canadian manufacturer with over 60 years of experience producing quality products—many of which, like the Can-Twist wire connector and Yellow 77 lubricant, are made in Ajax,… Read More…

  • City of Winnipeg Continues to Improve Online Permits System

    City of Winnipeg Continues to Improve Online Permits System

    July 4, 2025 The City of Winnipeg has launched an improved Permits Online web portal. This upgrade aims to make the permit process more convenient for customers. Permits Online is a one-stop shop to manage the permit process. Now, the web portal is easier to use because customers can navigate it using their mobile device. The portal… Read More…

  • Schneider Electric Launches Chapter 3 of Sustainability School

    Schneider Electric Launches Chapter 3 of Sustainability School

    July 4, 2025 Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, has launched Chapter 3 of its online Sustainability School, a free training program designed to empower its channel ecosystem partners to become leaders in sustainability. This chapter will focus on teaching businesses how to decarbonize and unlock the competitive… Read More…