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July 10, 2026BUILDING PERMITS, MAY 2026 Monthly (seasonally adjusted, May 2026 vs April 2026)
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) fell 25.0% to $219.2 million, the fastest decline among provinces. Halifax permits dropped 42.1% to $111.1 million while permits outside the city rose 7.6% to $108.1 million. National permits fell 1.7% to $12.4 billion with declines in six provinces. The fastest gains were reported in Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island.
Nova Scotia's residential building permits declined 35.5% to $137.6 million, the fastest decline among provinces. Halifax residential permits fell 52.8% to $72.2 million. Outside the city, residential permit values rose 8.5% to $65.4 million. National residential building permit values grew 1.2% to $7.7 billion with gains in five provinces. Newfoundland and Labrador reported the fastest gain.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits rose 3.3% to $81.6 million. Halifax non-residential permits edged up 0.1% to $38.9 million. Outside the city, non-residential permit values increased 6.3% to $42.7 million. National non-residential building permit values dropped 6.1% to $4.7 billion despite gains in six provinces. Québec reported the steepest decline. Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island reported the fastest gains.
Year-to-date (January-May 2026 vs January-May 2025)
Nova Scotia's total building permits (residential and non-residential) were down 25.0% in the first five months of 2026 comparing with the same period in 2025, the fastest decline among provinces. Halifax permits declined 19.2% and outside the city permit values decreased 31.8%. National permits were up 1.7%. Building permit values were up in six provinces. Prince Edward Island reported the fastest gain.
In the first five months of 2026, Nova Scotia's residential building permits fell 11.0% compared to the same period in 2025. Halifax residential permits decreased 9.7% and outside the city residential permit values decreased 13.2%. National residential building permit values decreased 0.4%. Residential permit values were down in six provinces, with the fastest decline in Alberta. The fastest gain was reported in Manitoba.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits dropped 45.0% in the first five months of 2026 (compared with the same period in 2025), the fastest decline among provinces. Halifax permits declined 38.2% while non-residential permits outside the city fell 50.4%. National non-residential building permit values rose 5.2%, despite declines in seven provinces. Prince Edward Island reported the fastest gain in year-to-date non-residential permit values.
Across the province, both residential and non-residential permits declined in January-May 2026 compared to January-May 2025.
Permit values for single dwellings as well as multiple units were down across the province.
All categories of non-residential permit values were down across the province except a rise in commercial permits outside of Halifax.
Year-to-date building permit values declined the most in institutional/government and industrial projects across the province. Halifax building permit values declined across all categories with the fastest decline in industrial projects. Outside the city, building permit values declined across all categories except commercial projects, with the fastest decline in institutional/government 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. Overall building permits rose through the first have of 2025 and have been declining since.
Residential permits followed a stable trend in late 2023 and early 2024, and had trended upward through most of 2025. In recent months, residential permits have been on a downward trend.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permit values reached a plateau from late 2023 through 2024. Non-residential permits trended up through the first half of 2025 due to notable growth outside the city. In recent months, non-residential building permit values are declining.
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. In recent months, there have been declines in single and multi-unit building permits across the province.
Non-residential building permits have lower values than residential permits. In Halifax, all categories of non-residential permits have decreased in recent months (exception: institutional/government in most recent results). Outside the city, permits had a rising trend in 2025 due to sharp growth in institutional/government permits though in recent months there has been a notable decline 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)