Canada’s building permit values rebounded sharply in June, reaching $14.9 billion after a $2.3 billion, or 18.5 percent, increase from May, according to Statistics Canada. The gain more than offset declines of $536.7 million in April and $383.3 million in May. On a monthly basis, total permit values rose 18 percent, and they were up 18.6 percent on a year-over-year basis.
Statistics Canada said the rebound indicates renewed confidence in construction, particularly in Ontario, with positive implications for economic growth and job creation across the country.
The non-residential sector led the June rebound, climbing $1.8 billion to $6.8 billion, while residential permits added $479.7 million. Within non-residential, the institutional component accounted for most of the increase, rising $1.5 billion to $3.2 billion.
Institutional permits lead June rebound
Statistics Canada reported that "the gain in the institutional component was bolstered by Ontario (up $1.3 billion) and concentrated in the Toronto area, where there were newly approved building permits for a medical institution." Quebec contributed an additional $238.7 million to the institutional gain. The industrial component rose $268.8 million to $1.2 billion, with Saskatchewan up $189.5 million and Ontario up $104.2 million; Quebec tempered the increase. The commercial component increased $67.9 million to $2.4 billion, and seven provinces contributed to the gain, led by Ontario at $106 million.
Second quarter sets record for non-residential intentions
Across the second quarter, non-residential permit values rose $1.9 billion to $15.4 billion, which Statistics Canada called the largest quarterly increase in the series. Ontario was the main driver, with its institutional component up $1.6 billion. Statistics Canada said Ontario drove the national institutional component to a quarterly record high of $6.1 billion, and that "Hospital construction intentions in the Toronto area supported the increase within the province."
The commercial component increased $611.2 million to $6.4 billion in the second quarter, led by Ontario at $427.9 million. Quebec added $137.2 million and Yukon added $83.8 million. The industrial component moved lower, declining $492.3 million to $2.9 billion, with six provinces and two territories contributing to the decrease.
Residential permits still sliding
The residential sector pulled back in the second quarter, falling $944.2 million, or 4.3 percent, to $21.1 billion. Multi-unit construction accounted for most of the decline, down $873.7 million to $13.8 billion, according to Statistics Canada. Ontario led the multi-unit losses with a $582.4 million drop, followed by British Columbia at $386.2 million. Alberta moderated the decline with a $180.1 million increase.
For Ontario, the residential pullback contrasted with the institutional strength. The province’s non-residential permits rose sharply on the Toronto-area medical project, while multi-unit intentions weakened. The slide in Ontario and British Columbia multi-unit permits matters for glazing because high-rise residential towers have been a major source of window and curtain wall contracts in the Greater Toronto Area and Metro Vancouver. A sustained pullback in multi-unit construction could shift glazing demand toward institutional and commercial work, even as total permit values rise.
Provincial breakdown at a glance
- Ontario: institutional permits up $1.3 billion in June, driven by newly approved medical institution permits in Toronto; commercial component up $106 million in June and $427.9 million in the second quarter.
- Quebec: institutional gain of $238.7 million in June; commercial component up $137.2 million in the second quarter.
- Saskatchewan: industrial permits up $189.5 million in June.
- British Columbia: multi-unit residential permits down $386.2 million in the second quarter.
- Alberta: multi-unit residential permits up $180.1 million in the second quarter, moderating the national decline.
The provincial figures point to an Ontario-led non-residential expansion. Ontario’s institutional permits were the largest single driver, but gains in Saskatchewan’s industrial component and commercial increases in Quebec and Yukon also supported the national total. This suggests the June rebound was not solely a one-project story.
What the Ontario hospital permits mean for glazing
The permit numbers do not break out glazing-specific values, but institutional work of the type approved in the Toronto area generally includes large exterior glazing packages, unitized curtain wall and high-performance windows. For Canadian glazing contractors and suppliers, such projects are typically specified under the North American Fenestration Standard (NAFS) and CSA A440, which govern performance requirements for windows, doors and skylights. Under the Ontario Building Code, fenestration products must also meet compliance paths set out in supplementary standards, and many institutional specifications reference CSA A440 and NAFS.
For curtain wall fabricators and installers, hospital and institutional projects often involve larger and more complex glazing scopes than residential high-rise work, though timelines are typically longer. The mix shift toward institutional permits in Ontario may help offset softness in multi-unit residential activity. At the same time, residential permit declines in Ontario and British Columbia point to a cooling pipeline for high-rise condo glazing packages in future quarters.
Canadian fenestration suppliers have watched non-residential permit values closely because institutional and commercial buildings typically require larger glazed areas, higher performance coatings and more complex curtain wall systems than residential buildings. The June data does not provide project-level detail on glazing, but the Toronto medical institution permit suggests a sizable future envelope package. For glazing contractors, the timing gap between permits and glazing installation can be several quarters, so the June gain is a leading indicator of work into 2027.
As Glass Canada reported, hospital construction intentions in the Toronto area drove the institutional gains. That points to continued demand for architectural glass and building envelope products in Ontario’s institutional and commercial sectors, even as multi-unit residential construction slows.