Canada’s building permits fell 4.1% to C$12.9 billion in September 2026 compared with August, following a downwardly revised 7.6% surge in the previous month and slightly undershooting expectations of a 4.0% decline. Residential construction intentions dropped by C$475.7 million to C$7.8 billion, as a C$529.3 million decrease in multi-family permits was only partly offset by a C$53.6 million increase in single-family permits. The pullback in multi-family activity was driven primarily by British Columbia (-C$292.1 million) and Alberta (-C$186.8 million).
Non-residential permits also declined, slipping C$77.1 million to C$5.1 billion. A C$171.5 million drop in institutional permits outweighed gains elsewhere, although a C$90.9 million increase in industrial permits helped limit the overall decline. Institutional weakness was concentrated in Quebec (-C$95.5 million), Saskatchewan (-C$43.6 million), and Alberta (-C$39.3 million). For the third quarter of 2026 as a whole, the total value of building permits fell 3.6% quarter-on-quarter to C$38.8 billion.
