Building permits, April 2026

Released: 2026-06-11

In April, the total value of building permits issued in Canada decreased $1.0 billion (-7.6%) to $12.5 billion. Both the non-residential sector (-10.5%) and the residential sector (-5.5%) contributed to the decline in construction intentions.

On a constant dollar basis (2023=100), the total value of building permits issued in April declined 7.7% from the previous month and was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Chart 1 
Total value of building permits, seasonally adjusted

Infographic 1 
Building permits, April 2026

British Columbia leads non-residential sector decline

The value of non-residential building permits fell $585.9 million to $5.0 billion in April. The decrease was led by the institutional component (-$388.2 million to $1.4 billion), followed by the industrial component (-$323.2 million to $1.2 billion). Meanwhile, the commercial component (+$125.6 million to $2.3 billion) moderated the overall decrease.

After leading growth in the institutional component in March, British Columbia (-$607.0 million) drove the reduction in the institutional construction intentions in April. Ontario (+$210.1 million) helped moderate declines.

In April, losses in the industrial component were led by Ontario (-$227.0 million), followed by British Columbia (-$59.0 million) and Manitoba (-$35.3 million). In total, eight provinces and two territories contributed to the national decrease.

The growth in the commercial component in April was primarily attributable to Quebec (+$141.1 million), followed by Ontario (+$52.4 million) and Yukon (+$47.0 million). British Columbia (-$95.4 million) moderated the increases.

Chart 2 
Number of units authorized for the residential sector and for the single-family and multi-family components

Chart 3 
Value of building permits for the residential and non-residential sectors

Chart 4 
Value of building permits for the single-family and multi-family components

Chart 5 
Value of building permits for the industrial, commercial and institutional components

Residential construction decline driven by multi-family component

Residential construction intentions declined by $437.7 million to $7.5 billion in April. The multi-family component (-$429.7 million to $4.8 billion) accounted for most of the decline in the month, while the single-family component remained virtually unchanged, at $2.7 billion.

In April, the reduction in the multi-family component stemmed largely from British Columbia (-$432.7 million). Additional decreases were recorded in Ontario (-$99.7 million) and Manitoba (-$67.9 million).

Ontario (-$27.1 million) led the decrease in the single-family component in April. Overall, six provinces and two territories contributed to the decline. Concurrently, gains in Manitoba (+$22.7 million), Quebec (+$22.1 million) and Prince Edward Island (+$15.8 million) tempered the decline.

Across Canada, 19,900 multi-family dwellings and 4,100 single-family dwellings were authorized in April, down 8.0% from the previous month. From May 2025 to April 2026, the total number of multi-family and single-family dwellings authorized was 303,700, down from 304,000 during the same period one year earlier.

To explore data using an interactive user interface, visit the Building permits: Interactive Dashboard.

For more information on construction, please visit the Construction statistics portal.

For more information on housing, please visit the Housing statistics portal.

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; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).