Investment in building construction, September 2018
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Released: 2018-11-23
14.5 billion
September 2018
0.3 % 
(monthly change)
Total investment in building construction increased 0.3% from August to $14.5 billion in September. Gains for the month were driven by growth in investment in the residential sector (+0.4% to $10.0 billion), while investment in non-residential building construction was unchanged at $4.5 billion.
Investment in residential building construction
In the residential sector, the increase in investments was led by a gain of 1.0% within the multi-unit category (which includes doubles, row homes, and apartments) to $4.8 billion, while investment in the single-unit category edged down 0.2% to $5.3 billion.
Investment in single-unit dwellings increased 5.2% compared with September 2017, while investment in multi-unit dwellings rose 14.6% over the same period.
Chart 1
Investment in residential building construction
Infographic 1
Investment in non-residential construction, September 2018
Investment in non-residential building construction
Investment in non-residential building construction was unchanged at $4.5 billion in September, as gains in the commercial (+0.5% to $2.5 billion) and industrial (+2.0% to $0.9 billion) sectors were offset by a 2.7% decline in the institutional sector.
Investment in non-residential building construction rose 4.1% in the 12 months to September, led by strength in the commercial (+$213 million) and industrial (+$137 million) sectors. In contrast, investment in the institutional and government sectors declined $172 million (-13.5%) compared with September 2017.
Chart 2
Investment in non-residential building construction
Infographic 2
Residential construction investment, September 2018
Note to readers
This publication is the first release of a new data series for Investment in Building Construction published by Statistics Canada. This product brings together investment in the residential and non-residential building construction sectors into one monthly release.
Starting with this release, data series in both the residential and non-residential sectors are harmonised for the type of work and geography (provinces and census metropolitan areas).
Data presented in this release are seasonally adjusted and are expressed in current dollars unless otherwise stated. Using seasonally adjusted data facilitates month-to-month comparisons by removing the effects of seasonal variations. For information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally Adjusted Data – Frequently Asked Questions.
Detailed data on investment activity by type of building and type of work are now available in the unadjusted series.
As a result of data source constraints, the total value for Type of Work – All may not equal the sum of its parts (new construction, renovation, conversion, and other). The component required to complete the summation is Type of Structure, Minor.
In the type of work series Conversions Total, one or more residential dwelling units are created from an existing structure. Deconversions, garages and carports, as well as in-ground swimming pools are grouped together in the Other types of work category.
A new table, 34-10-0175, contains data on both the residential and non-residential sector. It replaces tables 34-10-0010, 34-10-0011, and 34-10-0012.
Next release
Data on investment in building construction for October will be released on December 21.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).
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