October proved to be a prolific month for construction projects in B.C. as building permit values reached $1.48 billion, rising at a higher rater than any other province.
The total value of building permits in B.C. jumped $584 million between September and October, according to data released by Statistics Canada December 8.
That 65.1% gain was the highest among the provinces, with Saskatchewan (22.9%) and Alberta (5.8%) coming the closest to B.C.
"British Columbia's gain was primarily attributable to higher construction intentions for institutional and commercial buildings," Statistics Canada said in its report.
Nationwide, the total value of building permits went up 0.7% to $7.5 billion between September and October.
Ontario had the biggest decline, falling 20.1% from $3.05 billion in September to $2.4 billion in October.
The Vancouver census metropolitan area (CMA) made gains of 117.2%, while the Abbotsford-Mission CMA declined 27.5%.
Statistics Canada cited higher construction intentions for non-residential as the leading factor behind the region’s big gains.
The only other CMA to make triple digit percentage gains was Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, where building permit values went up 146.8%.
