SmartHomeOwners

OTTAWA: Contractors took out $5.5 billion worth of building permits in November.

That's down 11.2 per cent from October and their second straight monthly decline.

Statistics Canada reports lower construction intentions, particularly for multi-family dwellings in British Columbia and commercial buildings in Ontario, were behind the decline.

After two straight monthly gains, permits in the non-residential sector fell 16.1 per cent to $2.3 billion in November, mainly due to drops in the commercial and institutional components.

The value of residential permits fell 7.2 per cent to $3.2 billion, with most of the decrease coming from British Columbia.

The total value of permits fell in seven provinces, led by British Columbia, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, while Quebec experienced the largest increase by far.

The total value of permits fell in 19 of 34 cities, led by Vancouver, Toronto and St. John's, N.L.