Ontario sees drop in residential building permits, but Kitchener rises

Data from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) shows that for the first time since 2019, Ontario saw a drop in residential building permits issued.

The report includes a quote from MPAC Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Carmelo Lipsi. He believes that because people were locked in their homes during the pandemic, it was an ideal time for homeowners work on their properties.

The residential permits cover all areas of home improvement, including renovations, additions, decks, garages, pools, and sheds.

All those sub-categories saw decreases in the amount permits issued for them. However, Kitchener and Guelph saw a rise in total permits.

Overall, Kitchener ranked fifth behind Toronto, Brampton, Ottawa and Hamilton with 2500 permits taken out. Also, of those five, Kitchener was the only city to see their number rise from last year.

Guelph came in at number nine, but were the biggest risers of the entire top ten, with a 40 per cent increase compared to 2021.

The numbers suggest that Kitchener and Guelph could be developing more than other major cities in the province.

The following statement was provided by MPAC:

In the Kitchener area, we saw an increase in residential building permit activity – specifically in the construction of new homes, as well as for additions and renovations to existing homes. Similar to other areas in the province, Kitchener saw declining numbers for other residential permit types, namely pools, sheds, garages, and decks.

Guelph saw an increase in permits for the construction of new homes, additions/renovations, and garages, with declines related to pool and shed permits.