Canadian investment in nonresidential construction totaled C$12.9 billion (US$10 billion) in the third quarter, down 0.5 percent from the same quarter in 2014.
This was the third consecutive quarterly decline and largely reflected lower spending on the construction of commercial (down 1.3 percent) and industrial (down 2.5 percent) buildings.
Institutional investment continued to increase (up 2.2 percent), an upward trend that began in the first quarter of 2014.
Overall, total investment fell in four provinces in the third quarter, with Quebec registering the largest decline, followed by Manitoba. In Quebec, the decline was mainly as a result of lower spending on institutional and commercial buildings. In Manitoba, the decrease was attributable to lower spending on commercial and industrial buildings.
The largest increases occurred in Ontario and Alberta. In Ontario, investment advanced in all three components, while in Alberta, it resulted from higher spending on institutional buildings.
Total investment was up in 23 of the 34 census metropolitan areas in the third quarter, with the largest gain in Toronto, followed closely by Calgary.
In Toronto, the increase was mainly attributable to higher investment in the construction of commercial buildings, while in Calgary, the gain was mostly due to higher spending on institutional construction projects.
Montréal reported the largest decline, followed by smaller declines in Kingston and Québec.
