Building permits continue to fall

For the fourth straight month, residential building permits were on the decline in the Oshawa area.

According to new numbers from Statistics Canada, there were 148 residential building permits, valued at just under $35.3 million, issued in the Oshawa census metropolitan area – which also includes Whitby and Clarington – this past July. This marks a 22-per-cent drop from the month before, when 190 building permits valued at just over $55.7 million were issued.

The number of residential building permits has been on a downward slope since April, which saw the highest number for 2016 thus far. That month saw 391 permits valued at $126.9 million issued.

Numbers are also down more than 70 per cent from the same time last year, with July 2015 seeing 538 residential building permits valued at $123 million issued.

Across the country, the value of residential building permits was down two per cent, coming in at a value of $4 billion. As is the case with the Oshawa census metropolitan area, this marked the fourth straight month of decreases.

According to Statistics Canada, the decline in July can be attributed to lower construction intentions posted in five provinces, including Ontario.