September housing permit values fall as multi-family plans ease

The September results

Statistics Canada reports residential permit values of $7.8 billion, down 5.8% from August. Multi-family intentions fell $529.3 million to $5.1 billion. British Columbia’s $292.1 million decline and Alberta’s $186.8 million decline led that decrease. Ontario contributed a $103.3 million increase in single-family intentions.

Those monthly figures are seasonally adjusted, in current dollars. The release separately reports that residential intentions were essentially unchanged over the third quarter in constant dollars. The monthly drop and quarterly result use different comparison periods and price bases.

Edmonton’s total needs a separate reading

The accompanying metropolitan-area table puts Edmonton’s September permit value at $569.0 million, down 7.5% from August and 15.9% from September 2025. This is the census metropolitan area’s total across residential and non-residential construction, not a housing-only figure or a count of homes. September estimates are preliminary; earlier months have been revised.

What a permit tells a homebuyer

Statistics Canada’s survey explanation distinguishes the value of proposed construction and dwellings authorized from information about construction starts and completions. Its separate Residential Building Occupancy module collects start and completion dates. That distinction matters when comparing an announced project with a home that is ready to occupy.

Our reading for Edmonton, B.C. and Ontario buyers is to treat these figures as background on development activity. They cannot establish the delivery date of a particular property or predict its eventual selling price. A provincial decline also does not describe every neighbourhood or type of home.

Connect financing to the actual purchase timeline

FCAC’s pre-approval guidance explains that pre-approval does not guarantee final mortgage approval. The lender will assess the property, and the approved amount depends on its value and the down payment. Buyers also need funds for closing, moving and ongoing maintenance.

For a purchase with a future completion date, ask your lender or broker how long the quoted rate is held and whether pre-approval can be extended. Confirm the project’s contractual dates with your lawyer and builder, then check which financing documents may need refreshing if those dates change.

Use our pre-approval playbook to prepare for that conversation. Our September housing-starts briefing covers a different stage of the construction process.