B.C. was an outsized driver of Canada’s national increase in building permits in February. Permit issuances in the province jumped 22.7 per cent (up $477 million) to reach $2.6 billion. This was fuelled by a 143.6-per-cent increase in non-residential permits, which rose by $657.7 million. Major projects in the Vancouver census metropolitan area boosted commercial permits (up 127.3 per cent or $390 million) and institutional permits (up 231.9 per cent or $248.8 million). B.C.’s industrial category also experienced a gain with a 42.6-per-cent increase (up $18.9 million). This non-residential activity helped push Canadian building permits up by 2.9 per cent to reach $13.1 billion.

West Coast residential building permit issuances, however, moved in the other direction—with an........

© BIV