Statistics Canada’s most recent report on the value of building permits issued by municipalities across the country shows a bright start to 2020.

In January, builders took out more than $9.2 billion worth of building permits—4 percent more than they did in December. Six provinces reported increases in permit values, led by British Columbia (+$751 million). Permit activity in Ontario however, dropped by 4.5 percent to $3.4 billion.

Vancouver was the busiest region of the country in construction terms in January. Statistics Canada reports that the value of permits increased by nearly 82 percent as builders rushed to file permits in advance of changes to the city’s development charges which came into effect on January 15. On the other side of the coin, Quebec (-$366 million) and Ontario (-$161 million) reported the largest provincial declines after strong activity in December 2019.

The residential sector reported strong gains in January. Construction activity increased by 12.7 percent from December 2019 to $5.8 billion. Permits for multi-family dwellings were up 17.1 percent to $3.4 billion in January—again, largely due to multiple projects in Vancouver. Ontario’s residential sector performed well in January. Permit values rose by nearly 5 percent to $2.0 billion for the month.

The total value of permits for single-family dwellings nationally increased 7.0 percent to $2.4 billion, mainly due to housing developments in Ontario (+$105 million) and Quebec (+$48 million). Brantford, for example, reported the largest increase in the value of permits for single-family dwellings (+340.9 percent to $41 million), a record high for the city.

The value of non-residential permits was down 7.8 percent to $3.5 billion in January. This decrease was largely due to a decline in the total value of institutional permits (-30.5 percent to $732 million) following strong gains in December 2019. The value of commercial permits decreased 0.8 percent to $2.1 billion, and the value of industrial permits rose 6.8 percent to $682 million.

Activity in Ontario’s non-residential sector dropped in January—although largely due to a significant decline in the total value of institutional permits. Overall, permit totals lost about 15.3 percent to finish the month at $1.4 billion. The value of industrial-sector permits rose by about $90 million (or 47 percent) to $279.4 million for the month. The value of commercial permits also rose by $90 million (or 11 percent) to $916 million, while the value of institutional permits dropped more than $430 million (or 67 percent) to $212 million.