The Economics and Statistics Division maintains archives of previous publications for accountability purposes, but makes no updates to keep these documents current with the latest data revisions from Statistics Canada. As a result, information in older documents may not be accurate. Please exercise caution when referring to older documents. For the latest information and historical data, please contact the individual listed to the right.
<--- Return to Archive
For additional information relating to this article, please contact:
November 12, 2025BUILDING PERMITS, SEPTEMBER 2025 Monthly (seasonally adjusted, September 2025 vs August 2025)
Changes in monthly building permit values are typically very volatile, with large swings from one month to the next.
Nova Scotia's total building permits (residential and non-residential) rose 15.5% to $293.3 million. Halifax permits declined 9.9% to $139.5 million while permits outside the city increased 56.1% to $153.9 million. National permits rose 4.5% to $11.7 billion. Total building permit values were up in seven provinces, led by Newfoundland and Labrador. British Columbia reported the steepest decline.
Nova Scotia's residential building permits increased 1.5% to $197.0 million. Halifax residential permits dropped 11.8% to $111.7 million. Outside the city, residential permit values rose 26.4% to $85.3 million. National residential building permit values increased 4.8% to $7.3 billion with gains in six provinces. Residential permit values were up most in Alberta while Prince Edward Island reported the fastest percentage decline.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits rebounded with a 62.7% gain to $96.3 million. Halifax non-residential permits fell 1.4% to $27.8 million. Outside the city, non-residential permit values rose 121.0% to $68.5 million. National non-residential building permit values grew 4.0% to $4.4 billion with gains in eight provinces. Newfoundland and Labrador led all provinces in non-residential building permit growth. Only Québec and Manitoba reported declines.
Year-to-date (January-September 2025 vs January-September 2024)
Nova Scotia's total building permits (residential and non-residential) were up 9.9% in the first nine months of the year comparing with the same period in 2024. Halifax permits declined 3.7% and outside the city permit values increased 31.2%. National permits were up 1.3%. Building permit values were up in seven provinces, with Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunswick reporting the fastest increases. Ontario reported the fastest decline.
In the first nine months of 2025, Nova Scotia's residential building permits rose 4.1% compared to the same period in 2024. Halifax residential permits rose 2.2% and outside the city residential permit values increased 7.1%. National residential building permit values increased 3.4%. Residential permit values were up in all provinces except Ontario, with the fastest increases in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits rose 23.2% in the first nine months of 2025 (compared with the same period in 2024), the second fastest rise in non-residential permit values among provinces after Alberta. Halifax permits declined 17.4% while non-residential permits outside the city rose 84.9%. National non-residential building permit values fell 2.0% on declines in six provinces. Manitoba reported the steepest decline in year-to-date non-residential permit values.
Growth in total permits in the first nine months of the year was concentrated outside of Halifax. Residential permits rose across the province. Higher non-residential permits outside of Halifax were partially offset by lower non-residential permits in Halifax.
Permit values for single dwelling units and multiple unit permits were up across the province.
Non-residential permit values were up due to notable growth in commercial as well as institutional/government permits outside of Halifax. Industrial permit values were little changed in Halifax and down in the rest of Nova Scotia resulting in a slight decline in industrial permit values in Nova Scotia.
Year-to-date growth in building permit values was notably stronger for areas outside Halifax. Outside the city, there was very strong growth in institutional/government and commercial building permits as well as increases in residential units (particularly for multiple unit dwellings). In Halifax, non-residential permits were down on lower institutional/government permit values as well as commercial building permits. Halifax residential permit values rose on higher single and multi-unit dwelling projects.
Trends
Overall building permit values have generally been on a rising trend for several years, though there have been periods of declining values over this period. Rising permit values are mostly driven by higher residential permits within Halifax, as well as outside the city, to a smaller degree.
Residential permits followed a stable trend in late 2023 and early 2024, then grew through the middle of 2025 with some declines in recent months.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permit values also reached a plateau from late 2023 through 2024. Non-residential permits have trended up in recent months due to notable growth outside the city.
Trends in residential permit values reflect the differences in housing markets for Halifax and the rest of the province. In Halifax, growth in permit values for multi-unit dwellings has outpaced growth in single-dwelling unit permits. Outside the city, single dwelling unit permits are more common than permits for multi-unit structures. However, in recent months, there has been a surge in multi-unit building permits outside Halifax.
Non-residential building permits have lower values than residential permits. In Halifax, non-residential permits have started to decline on lower commercial and industrial projects. Outside the city, permits have exhibited a rise in recent months due to sharp growth in institutional/government permits.
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 34-10-0292-01 Building permits, by type of structure and type of work (x 1,000)
<--- Return to Archive
