A breakdown of the numbers shows Toronto is likely to continue to see cranes dotting its skyline through this year at least. Planned construction in Calgary and Ontario led much of the increase, while British Columbia had the largest decrease.
Specifically, permits in Ontario for multi-family dwellings rose 28.9% to $1.9 billion, which was the highest level recorded since December 2005. Residential permits in Ontario were up a whopping 48.2% compared to November.
“Ontario’s increase was mainly attributable to permits for multi-family dwellings and hotels,” said the report by Statistics Canada.
The largest gain in the non-residential sector was Yukon, with permits up 115.4%.
Overall, half of Canada’s 34 municipalities saw an increase in permit values in December. Along with Vancouver’s decline led by the residential sector, Ottawa also had an overall decline in residential and non-residential permits.
