December building construction remains steady

Investment in building construction edged up 0.3 percent month over month to $19.8 billion in December. The residential sector grew 0.3 percent to $13.8 billion, and investment in the non-residential sector also rose 0.3 percent to $6.1 billion, says Statistics Canada. On a constant dollar basis, investment in building construction was unchanged (+0.0 percent; +$5 million) at $12.2 billion in December.

Investment in residential building construction grew 0.3 percent with gains in Quebec (+4.6 percent), Ontario (+1.4 percent), British Columbia (+0.9 percent), and Prince Edward Island (+11.9 percent).

Investment in detached single-family homes declined 1.0 percent to $6.5 billion in December, while investment in multi-unit buildings, which includes apartments, semi-detached and row homes, increased 1.6 percent to $7.3 billion.

Investment in the non-residential sector rose 0.3 percent with increases recorded in nine provinces. Only Newfoundland and Labrador (-2.9 percent to $24.8 million) reported a decline. Gains in the institutional (+3.4 percent) and industrial (+0.4 percent) components were mostly offset by a decline in commercial investment (-1.3 percent).