The Weekly Review, September 4 to 7, 2018

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Statistics Canada's look at the week

Release date: September 7, 2018

Building permits edge down in July

In July, Canadian municipalities issued $8.2 billion worth of building permits, down 0.1% from June. The decrease was mainly attributable to lower construction intentions in British Columbia.

Source: Building permits, July 2018

University students see a rise in tuition fees for this year

Tuition for undergraduate programs for Canadian full-time students was, on average, $6,838 in 2018/2019, up 3.3% from the previous academic year. The average cost for graduate programs was $7,086, a 2.4% increase over 2017/2018. While these tuition fees are reported in current dollars, they remain relatively stable when inflation is taken into account.

Source: Tuition fees for degree programs, 2018/2019

Canada's trade deficit at its lowest level in almost two years

Canada's merchandise trade deficit with the world narrowed from $743 million in June to $114 million in July, the smallest deficit since the most recent surplus in December 2016. Total exports rose 0.8%, mainly on higher crude oil prices. Total imports declined 0.4%, due to fewer aircraft imports.

Source: Canadian international merchandise trade, July 2018

Declines in part-time work drive up the unemployment rate

Following two months of increases, employment fell by 52,000 in August. Part-time employment declined by 92,000 while full-time employment edged up. At the same time, the unemployment rate increased 0.2 percentage points to 6.0%.

Source: Labour Force Survey, August 2018

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