The value of construction intentions for buildings in the non-residential and residential sectors. The data are obtained from a monthly survey of Canadian municipalities.
In May 2017, Alberta municipalities issued $1.2 million in building permits, an increase of 16.1% from May 2016. Nationally, building permits increased 10.8% over the same time period. In Alberta, residential permits saw the largest increase in value (up 33.9%) while commercial permits fell 14.2% compared to the same month one year earlier.
Because building permits are volatile, using year-to-date figures can be helpful. Between January and May of 2017, Alberta building permit values were down 3.9% compared to the same period one year earlier. This decline is almost entirely due to a drop in commercial permits (down 34.4% year to date).
