Canadian Building Construction Investment Rises 0.1% in August as Non-Residential Spending Grows: Statistics Canada

Canadian building construction investment rises 0.1% in August as non-residential projects gain

Investment in Canadian building construction edged up in August as gains in institutional and commercial projects offset a decline in residential construction, according to Statistics Canada.

The total value of investment in building construction rose $25.1 million, or 0.1 per cent, to $23.5 billion in August, the federal agency said recently. Investment was up 7.9 per cent compared with August 2025.

In constant 2023 dollars, however, investment slipped 0.1 per cent from July to $21.2 billion, although it remained 4.7 per cent higher than a year earlier.

Non-residential construction investment

Non-residential construction investment increased 1.0 per cent in August to $7.4 billion, while residential investment declined 0.3 per cent to $16.1 billion.

Investment in institutional construction rose $43.5 million to $2.4 billion, led by spending on schools and education buildings amid major projects in the Toronto and Montreal census metropolitan areas.

Ontario contributed $35.9 million to the institutional increase, while Quebec added $15.3 million. Those gains were partly offset by declines in British Columbia and Alberta.

Commercial construction investment increased $27.9 million to $3.6 billion, with Ontario contributing $18.5 million and Quebec adding $8 million.

Industrial construction investment edged down $800,000 to $1.5 billion. Declines in Quebec, Alberta and Ontario were partly offset by a $12.5-million increase in British Columbia.

Residential construction investment

Residential construction investment fell $45.4 million in August as a decline in single-family home construction outweighed growth in multi-unit projects.

Investment in single-family construction dropped $98.3 million to $7.6 billion, with British Columbia and Quebec accounting for most of the decrease. Investment in the sector fell $46.5 million in British Columbia and $45.7 million in Quebec.

By contrast, investment in multi-unit construction, including apartments and other buildings with multiple residential units, increased $52.9 million to $8.5 billion.

Quebec recorded a $74.7-million increase in multi-unit construction investment, while British Columbia added $65.2 million. Those gains were partly offset by declines in five provinces and one territory, led by a $79.4-million decrease in Ontario.