A drop in plans for commercial buildings and multifamily dwellings in Ontario and British Columbia were responsible for much of the December decrease in building permits at the national level.
Statistics Canada says the value of building permits issued by municipalities declined 4.1 per cent to $6.5-billion in December, following a 6.6 per cent decrease in November.
A drop in plans for commercial buildings and multifamily dwellings in Ontario and British Columbia were responsible for much of the December decrease at the national level.
The agency says the value of building permits for 2013 as a whole edged down 0.1 per cent from 2012 to $80.8-billion.
The value of residential permits fell for a second consecutive month in December, slipping 9.3 per cent to $3.7-billion.
In the non-residential sector, the value of permits rose 3.7 per cent to $2.8-billion in December, following a 4.5 per cent decrease the previous month.
The value of permits was down in seven provinces in December, with Ontario and British Columbia posting the largest declines.