The value of permits for single family dwellings in Canada fell almost 11 per cent last December.

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According to Statistics Canada, the value of permits for single family dwellings in Canada fell almost 11 per cent to $1.6 billion last December, their sixth consecutive monthly decline. The drop in December occurred mainly as a result of declines in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.

Municipalities approved 13,777 new dwellings in December, a number similar to the previous month. Of these, single-family units were down 9.4 per cent to 6,030, while multi-family units were up 9.3 per cent to 7,747.

The most significant decreases in December occurred in Alberta and British Columbia. In Alberta, the value of permits fell 27 per cent to $761 million, as a result of declines in all components of the residential and non-residential sectors.

Permit values in British Columbia declined 41 per cent to $358 million as a result of decreases in the residential sector and the commercial component.

In contrast, Ontario reported increases in total permit values, mainly a result of gains in multiple-family permits and in all three components of the non-residential sector. Quebec also reported an increase, the result of higher values in non-residential components and single-family permits.

The total value of permits declined in 21 out of the 34 census metropolitan areas in December. The largest declines (in dollars) occurred in Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa, as all three experienced decreases in both residential and non-residential construction.

In Toronto, the increase came from the residential sector where the value has tripled for multiple-family permits.