Statistics Canada says the total monthly value of building permits in Canada ticked down 0.1 per cent in July to $11.9 billion, driven lower by the non-residential sector which was largely offset by a rise in the residential sector.
The agency says the total monthly value of non-residential permits decreased 5.8 per cent to $4.6 billion in July.
On the residential side, the total monthly value of permits issued rose 3.8 per cent to $7.3 billion in July as the value for permits for single-family homes increased 5.9 per cent to $2.6 billion.
Multi-unit construction intentions grew 2.7 per cent to $4.7 billion.
A total of 20,000 multi-unit dwellings and 4,100 single-family homes were authorized in July across Canada, up 1.9 per cent from the previous month.
On a constant dollar basis, the total value of building permits was down 0.3 per cent in July from the previous month and 8.2 per cent on a year-over-year basis.