Value of building permits falls in June first decrease in six months

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says municipalities issued $6.6 billion worth of building permits in June, down 10.3% from May.The federal agency says it’s the first decrease in six months, and came mainly from the non-residential sector in Quebec and the residential sector in Ontario.Nationally, residential sector permit values fell 12.9% to $4-billion in June.The building permits are seen as an indicator of future construction activity.The value of residential building permits was down in seven provinces in June, led mostly by Ontario and Quebec with Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories showing the only gains.In the non-residential sector, the value of building permits fell 9.5% to $1.4-billion. Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan were behind most of the decline, while British Columbia posted the largest gain.Canadian Press