Canadian building permits jump in May

OTTAWA, July 7 (UPI) -- The value of building permits issued in Canada in May surpassed the $5 billion mark, up 14.8 percent from April, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday.

Residential building intentions rose 14.4 percent to $2.6 billion in May, with Ontario accounting for most of the increase at the national level.

The value of non-residential permits increased 15.3 percent to $2.4 billion following a 12.9 percent decrease in April, StatsCan said.

"After a 16.3 percent decline in April, the value of permits for institutional buildings increased 47.9 percent to $913 million," the report said.

Regionally, declines in permits were seen in the four Atlantic provinces, but all others saw gains. The highest was a 48.4 percent gain in permits worth $1.1 billion in Alberta, followed by Ontario with a 15 percent increase to $1.8 billion, the agency said.