Building Permits Rose in August as Ontario Led Multi-Unit Gains

This report by Editorial team is based on information published by Statistics Canada.

According to Statistics Canada, the total value of building permits issued in Canada rose 8.8 per cent in August 2026 to 13.6 billion dollars. The increase was led by the residential sector, which added about 1.1 billion dollars, while the non-residential sector showed little change overall. On a constant-dollar basis, permits grew 8.6 per cent from July and were 12.4 per cent higher than a year earlier.

Residential construction intentions reached 8.5 billion dollars. Almost all of the monthly gain came from multi-unit homes, which rose by about 1.1 billion dollars to 5.8 billion dollars. The single-family component edged down slightly to 2.6 billion dollars. Across Canada, municipalities authorized 21,800 multi-unit dwellings and 4,000 single-family dwellings in August, a combined monthly increase of 12.8 per cent in units authorized.

Ontario role in the monthly move

Ontario led the provincial gains in the multi-unit component, adding 696 million dollars, followed by British Columbia and Alberta. The total value of permits in Ontario was 5.1 billion dollars, up 9.4 per cent. That makes Ontario central to the national story for August, although a permit is an intention to build rather than a finished home.

The non-residential side was steadier. Its total edged down 29.8 million dollars to 5.1 billion dollars. Commercial permits fell, industrial permits rose, and institutional permits posted a smaller gain. For housing readers, the key split is therefore clear: apartments, condominium buildings and other multi-unit forms drove the month, while detached-house intentions were flat.

What a permit can and cannot tell us

A permit shows that a project has municipal authorization to proceed, not that construction has started or that a family can move in. Projects can be delayed, revised or built in phases. Toronto Daily is reporting the August intentions only, and the next Statistics Canada release, for September permits, is scheduled for November 12.

For the GTA, the useful question after this release is whether strong multi-unit intentions convert into starts and completions in later CMHC data. Permits are the front door of the pipeline; starts and completions show how much housing actually passes through it.