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Investment in non-residential building construction
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Investment in non-residential building construction reached $10.4 billion in the third quarter, a 2.9% increase from the second quarter and the third consecutive quarterly gain. The increase was mainly the result of higher spending on commercial and industrial buildings.
In the third quarter, investment fell in two provinces: Saskatchewan and Alberta. In Saskatchewan, the decline was due to lower spending in the industrial and institutional components, while, in Alberta, it was due to lower institutional spending.
Ontario had the largest increase, mainly as a result of higher spending on commercial and industrial building construction.
Locally, 21 of the 34 census metropolitan areas recorded gains. The largest gain was in Toronto, where investment rose 7.5% to $1.8 billion, mainly as a result of increased spending in the commercial component.
The largest decline was in Barrie and was attributable to decreased spending in the institutional and industrial components.
Note to readers
All data in this release are seasonally adjusted and expressed in current dollars unless otherwise specified.
Investments in non-residential building construction exclude engineering construction. This series is based on the Building Permits Survey of municipalities, which collects information on construction intentions.
Work put-in-place patterns are assigned to each type of structure (industrial, commercial and institutional). These work patterns are used to distribute the value of building permits according to project length. Work put-in-place patterns differ according to the value of the construction project; a project worth several million dollars will usually take longer to complete than will a project of a few hundred thousand dollars.
Additional data from the capital and repair expenditures surveys are used to create this investment series. Investments in non-residential building data are benchmarked to Statistics Canada's System of National Accounts of non-residential building investment series.
For the purpose of this release, the census metropolitan area of Ottawa–Gatineau (Ontario/Quebec) is divided into two areas: the Ottawa part and the Gatineau part.
Commercial component
Investors put $5.9 billion into commercial projects, up 4.1% from the second quarter, the third consecutive quarterly gain.
The third quarter increase was the result of higher spending on transportation and recreational buildings, especially in Ontario and Alberta.
Overall, commercial investment rose in eight provinces. The largest increase occurred in Ontario, where investment rose 7.2% to $2.4 billion.
British Columbia had the largest decline, mainly as a result of lower spending in several commercial construction categories.
Industrial component
Investment in the industrial component increased 4.3% to $1.1 billion in the third quarter. It was the second quarterly increase in a row following seven consecutive quarters of declines.
The third quarter gain was due to higher investment in the construction of primary industry buildings in eight provinces and the construction of utilities buildings in six provinces.
Provincially, the most substantial contributions to the quarterly increase came from Ontario, where investment rose 7.3% to $453 million, and from Alberta, where it was up 6.5% to $237 million.
In contrast, Saskatchewan recorded the largest decline, mostly as a result of lower investment in manufacturing plants.
Institutional component
After two quarters of declines, investment in institutional construction edged up 0.4% in the third quarter to $3.4 billion. The biggest contributing factor was higher spending on educational facilities in nine provinces.
The largest increases were in Ontario and Quebec, both of which recorded higher spending in the construction of educational facilities.
In contrast, Alberta had the largest decline, mainly the result of lower spending in the construction of health care facilities and government buildings.
Available on CANSIM: table 026-0016.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5014.
More detailed data on investment in non-residential building construction are also available in free tables online from the Key resource module of our website under Summary tables.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Don Overton (613-951-1239; bdp_information@statcan.gc.ca), Investment and Capital Stock Division.
Table 1
| Third quarter 2009 | Second quarter 2010 | Third quarter 2010 | Second quarter to third quarter 2010 | Third quarter 2009 to third quarter 2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonally adjusted | |||||
| $ millions | % change | ||||
| Total | 7,760 | 7,547 | 7,819 | 3.6 | 0.8 |
| St. John's | 45 | 41 | 49 | 17.7 | 7.8 |
| Halifax | 93 | 101 | 105 | 3.8 | 12.7 |
| Moncton | 41 | 46 | 51 | 11.5 | 24.6 |
| Saint John | 50 | 43 | 42 | -4.0 | -17.5 |
| Saguenay | 72 | 48 | 52 | 7.4 | -27.5 |
| Québec | 264 | 220 | 217 | -1.2 | -17.7 |
| Sherbrooke | 44 | 48 | 59 | 22.4 | 35.1 |
| Trois-Rivières | 49 | 49 | 43 | -11.7 | -12.6 |
| Montréal | 796 | 851 | 881 | 3.5 | 10.7 |
| Ottawa–Gatineau, Ontario/Quebec | 380 | 394 | 388 | -1.5 | 2.1 |
| Gatineau part | 79 | 65 | 52 | -19.1 | -33.4 |
| Ottawa part | 301 | 329 | 336 | 1.9 | 11.4 |
| Kingston | 60 | 52 | 48 | -8.1 | -20.5 |
| Peterborough | 23 | 32 | 33 | 3.7 | 45.3 |
| Oshawa | 98 | 100 | 106 | 6.4 | 8.8 |
| Toronto | 1,713 | 1,670 | 1,796 | 7.5 | 4.8 |
| Hamilton | 238 | 220 | 234 | 6.4 | -1.9 |
| St. Catharines–Niagara | 68 | 88 | 108 | 22.0 | 59.6 |
| Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo | 196 | 240 | 272 | 13.1 | 38.9 |
| Brantford | 33 | 34 | 34 | -1.2 | 2.8 |
| Guelph | 39 | 51 | 50 | -2.0 | 28.1 |
| London | 140 | 120 | 141 | 17.2 | 0.6 |
| Windsor | 51 | 76 | 91 | 20.1 | 77.7 |
| Barrie | 131 | 103 | 87 | -15.3 | -33.7 |
| Greater Sudbury | 53 | 63 | 64 | 0.5 | 20.2 |
| Thunder Bay | 28 | 19 | 25 | 31.0 | -10.2 |
| Winnipeg | 148 | 143 | 148 | 3.2 | 0.2 |
| Regina | 88 | 99 | 101 | 2.1 | 14.9 |
| Saskatoon | 176 | 149 | 155 | 3.6 | -11.9 |
| Calgary | 1,056 | 963 | 953 | -1.0 | -9.7 |
| Edmonton | 701 | 654 | 650 | -0.6 | -7.2 |
| Kelowna | 84 | 122 | 113 | -7.5 | 33.6 |
| Abbotsford–Mission | 35 | 23 | 21 | -10.8 | -39.9 |
| Vancouver | 642 | 545 | 580 | 6.4 | -9.6 |
| Victoria | 126 | 136 | 122 | -10.1 | -2.7 |
Table 2
| Third quarter 2009 | Second quarter 2010 | Third quarter 2010 | Second quarter to third quarter 2010 | Third quarter 2009 to third quarter 2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonally adjusted | |||||
| $ millions | % change | ||||
| Canada | |||||
| Total non-residential | 10,175 | 10,135 | 10,428 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
| Industrial | 1,099 | 1,089 | 1,136 | 4.3 | 3.4 |
| Institutional | 3,310 | 3,389 | 3,403 | 0.4 | 2.8 |
| Commercial | 5,766 | 5,657 | 5,890 | 4.1 | 2.2 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | |||||
| Total non-residential | 72 | 69 | 84 | 22.6 | 17.1 |
| Industrial | 5 | 4 | 9 | 111.7 | 103.1 |
| Institutional | 20 | 26 | 26 | 0.5 | 29.6 |
| Commercial | 47 | 38 | 48 | 27.3 | 3.1 |
| Prince Edward Island | |||||
| Total non-residential | 32 | 21 | 24 | 11.9 | -25.4 |
| Industrial | 8 | 2 | 5 | 88.5 | -41.2 |
| Institutional | 9 | 7 | 8 | 16.8 | -1.2 |
| Commercial | 15 | 11 | 11 | -7.3 | -30.9 |
| Nova Scotia | |||||
| Total non-residential | 161 | 184 | 205 | 11.1 | 27.1 |
| Industrial | 19 | 21 | 25 | 20.0 | 32.4 |
| Institutional | 61 | 64 | 74 | 16.5 | 22.1 |
| Commercial | 82 | 100 | 106 | 5.8 | 29.7 |
| New Brunswick | |||||
| Total non-residential | 167 | 173 | 183 | 5.6 | 9.5 |
| Industrial | 22 | 18 | 15 | -15.7 | -32.1 |
| Institutional | 59 | 84 | 95 | 13.0 | 61.2 |
| Commercial | 86 | 71 | 73 | 2.1 | -15.2 |
| Quebec | |||||
| Total non-residential | 1,763 | 1,782 | 1,812 | 1.7 | 2.8 |
| Industrial | 240 | 251 | 244 | -3.1 | 1.3 |
| Institutional | 571 | 528 | 544 | 3.2 | -4.6 |
| Commercial | 952 | 1,003 | 1,024 | 2.1 | 7.5 |
| Ontario | |||||
| Total non-residential | 3,777 | 3,894 | 4,105 | 5.4 | 8.7 |
| Industrial | 376 | 422 | 453 | 7.3 | 20.4 |
| Institutional | 1,295 | 1,242 | 1,260 | 1.5 | -2.7 |
| Commercial | 2,106 | 2,230 | 2,391 | 7.2 | 13.5 |
Table 3
| Third quarter 2009 | Second quarter 2010 | Third quarter 2010 | Second quarter to third quarter 2010 | Third quarter 2009 to third quarter 2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonally adjusted | |||||
| $ millions | % change | ||||
| Manitoba | |||||
| Total non-residential | 216 | 208 | 221 | 6.1 | 2.2 |
| Industrial | 28 | 19 | 24 | 24.3 | -14.7 |
| Institutional | 68 | 53 | 60 | 13.6 | -11.6 |
| Commercial | 120 | 136 | 137 | 0.5 | 13.9 |
| Saskatchewan | |||||
| Total non-residential | 369 | 371 | 367 | -1.0 | -0.6 |
| Industrial | 73 | 60 | 48 | -20.6 | -34.7 |
| Institutional | 130 | 135 | 128 | -5.4 | -2.0 |
| Commercial | 165 | 175 | 191 | 9.1 | 15.6 |
| Alberta | |||||
| Total non-residential | 2,390 | 2,229 | 2,228 | -0.1 | -6.8 |
| Industrial | 242 | 223 | 237 | 6.5 | -1.7 |
| Institutional | 738 | 826 | 777 | -6.0 | 5.3 |
| Commercial | 1,410 | 1,179 | 1,213 | 2.8 | -14.0 |
| British Columbia | |||||
| Total non-residential | 1,172 | 1,118 | 1,123 | 0.5 | -4.2 |
| Industrial | 82 | 59 | 68 | 15.7 | -16.8 |
| Institutional | 338 | 390 | 399 | 2.3 | 18.0 |
| Commercial | 752 | 670 | 657 | -1.9 | -12.7 |
| Yukon | |||||
| Total non-residential | 12 | 32 | 28 | -13.4 | 131.9 |
| Industrial | 3 | 7 | 6 | -3.8 | 108.9 |
| Institutional | 5 | 9 | 9 | 1.0 | 103.7 |
| Commercial | 4 | 16 | 12 | -25.6 | 177.7 |
| Northwest Territories | |||||
| Total non-residential | 38 | 39 | 34 | -13.4 | -10.5 |
| Industrial | 1 | 1 | 1 | -12.6 | 68.8 |
| Institutional | 16 | 20 | 16 | -19.0 | -0.6 |
| Commercial | 21 | 18 | 17 | -7.3 | -20.5 |
| Nunavut | |||||
| Total non-residential | 7 | 15 | 17 | 13.1 | 140.8 |
| Industrial | 0 | 1 | 0 | -45.2 | 23.9 |
| Institutional | 2 | 6 | 5 | -3.1 | 223.6 |
| Commercial | 5 | 9 | 11 | 26.9 | 119.0 |
