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Economic news
11.07.2025

Canada’s building permits unexpectedly surge in April

Statistics Canada announced on Friday that the value of building permits issued by Canadian municipalities surged by 12.0 per cent m-o-m in May, following a downwardly revised 6.8 per cent m-o-m tumble (from -6.6 per cent m-o-m) in April. This was the first increase in three months and the strongest since July 2024 (+20.8 per cent m-o-m).

Economists had forecast a 0.8 per cent m-o-m drop in May from the previous month.

According to the report, the value of residential building permits jumped by 2.3 per cent m-o-m in May, reflecting a 4.1 per cent m-o-m climb in permits for multi-family dwellings that was partially offset by a 0.9 per cent m-o-m decline in single-family permits.

Meanwhile, the value of non-residential permits soared by 28.4 per cent m-o-m in April, as a 102.0 per cent m-o-m surge in institutional permits combined with a 4.1 per cent m-o-m rise in commercial permits more than offset a 12.5 per cent m-o-m plunge in industrial permits.

In y-o-y terms, building permits went up 8.1 per cent in May.

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