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May 09, 2018BUILDING PERMITS, MARCH 2018 
The value of building permits issued in Nova Scotia declined 1.3 per cent in March, following a (revised) decline of 1.2 per cent in February. Residential permits decreased 6.9 per cent while non-residential building permits increased 12.0 per cent. Monthly results for building permits are highly volatile; the six-month moving average of residential permits trended modestly upwards through 2017 but has declined in the first months of 2018. The non-residential permits' six-month moving average has remained flat since mid-2017.
The trend in Nova Scotia building permit values particularly reflects the trends in the Halifax market. In March, the value of Halifax building permits decreased 12.0 per cent, reflecting declines in both residential (-6.1 per cent) and non-residential (-23.9 per cent) permits. The six-month moving average for residential permits in Halifax rose from mid-2016 through 2017 but has been declining since the end of 2017. Non-residential permits in Halifax have recently peaked and are now trending down.
Outside the Halifax market, building permit values increased 11.5 per cent in March, reflecting a 69.2 per cent increase in non-residential permits and a 7.9 per cent decrease in residential permits.
In the first three months of 2018, the value of Nova Scotia building permits was down 27.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2017. This reflects a 32.3 per cent decline in residential building permits and a 16.5 per cent decline in non-residential permits. The decline in non-residential building permits reflects declines in institutional and government (-84.3 per cent) and commercial (-4.1 per cent) permits, partially offset by a 48.2 per cent increase in industrial permits. Halifax building permits were down 36.3 per cent over January to March 2017, while building permits declined outside of Halifax by 13.7 per cent.
Year-to-date, the number of dwelling-units created in Nova Scotia was down 395 units over the same period in 2017. Across the province, the number of singles created was up, while multiples were down.
Nationally, residential building permit values were on an upward trend in 2016 but have levelled off since early 2017. Residential building permits increased 2.3 per cent in March. Non-residential building permit values had been trending upward in 2017 after declining through 2015 and 2016 but have peaked in recent months. Non-residential building permits increased 4.5 per cent in March.
Comparing the first three months of 2018 with the same period in 2017, Prince Edward Island had the largest gains (+66.4 per cent) in residential permits. Nova Scotia posted the largest decline over this period.
In the first three months of 2018, Newfoundland and Labrador had the largest gains (+120.9 per cent, influenced by a particularly active non-residential construction sector in January 2018) in non-residential building permits while New Brunswick reported the largest decline (-37.4 per cent).
Total building permits were up in five provinces in the first three months of 2018, with Newfoundland and Labrador (+49.9 per cent) and Prince Edward Island (+42.6 per cent) reporting the largest gains (in percentage terms). New Brunswick reported the largest decline over this period (-27.4 per cent) followed closely by Nova Scotia.
Starting with the reference month January 2018, Statistics Canada has changed how they report building permits. CANSIM Tables 026-0001, 026-0008 and 026-0010 have been combined into 026-0021 which now include data on type of structure and type of work. Statistics Canada no longer report building permits by economic regions, which were previously reported in the DailyStats. There was only one conceptual change regarding the classification of “cottages” based on the permit value, which does not affect how the DailyStats reports single dwelling units.
Sources: CANSIM 026-0021
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