Statistics Canada: Investment in Building Construction, April 2022

Investment in building construction increased by 2.7% to $20.9 billion in April. Gains were reported in both the residential (+3.2%) and the non-residential sectors (+1.4%).

On a constant dollar basis (2012=100), investment in building construction grew 3.5% to $13.0 billion.

Residential sector remains strong

Residential construction investment rose for a seventh consecutive month, up 3.2% to $15.7 billion in April. British Columbia (+8.3%) led the way and reached a record high.

Investment in single family homes increased 4.5% to $8.8 billion, with gains in seven provinces. Conversely, Saskatchewan reported the largest decrease in investment (-12.5%), after being up six of the seven previous months.

Multi-unit construction investment advanced 1.5% to $6.9 billion, with British Columbia behind much of the component’s advance.

Non-residential investment increases for ninth straight month

Investment in the non-residential construction sector advanced 1.4% in April, with seven provinces posting increases.

Investment in industrial construction increased 1.7% to $931 million, with Ontario accounting for most of the net growth.

Commercial investment advanced 1.5% to $2.9 billion. Nine provinces reported growth, with a notable retail project in Vancouver contributing significantly to the month.

Institutional investment rose 1.0% to $1.4 billion, its fourth consecutive monthly advance. Growth was led by Quebec, with a federal building in Shawinigan designed for the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada.

For more information on housing, please visit the Housing statistics portal.

For the full press release, click here.

Note to Readers

Unadjusted data for the current reference month are subject to revision based on late responses. Data for the previous month have been revised. Seasonally adjusted data for the previous three months have also been revised.

Data presented in this release are seasonally adjusted with current dollar values unless otherwise stated. Using seasonally adjusted data allows month-to-month and quarter-to-quarter comparisons by removing the effects of seasonal variations. For information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.

Monthly estimates in constant dollars are calculated using quarterly deflators from the Building Construction Price Index (table 18-10-0135-01). Typically, the first two months of a quarter use the previous quarter’s price level, and the data are revised when the new quarterly price index becomes available.

Detailed data on investment activity by type of building and type of work are now available in the unadjusted current dollar series.

Next release

Data on investment in building construction for May will be released on July 14.

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Statistics Canada has a “Housing Market Indicators” dashboard. This web application provides access to key housing market indicators for Canada, by province and by census metropolitan area. These indicators are automatically updated with new information from monthly releases, giving users access to the latest data.

Source: Statistics Canada