June good for builiding permits in BC

A small surge in residential building-permit applications in June pushed British Columbia to the second-highest month this year for stated building intentions.

Builders took out $612.2 million worth of building permits for new homes in June.

Add $248 million in nonresidential permits and the $860.2-million total made it the best month for the province since February, when builders took out $876.5 million in permits.

Keith Sashaw, president of the Vancouver Regional Construction Association, said the numbers were encouraging, but cautioned that the construction sector may see numbers ease in the coming months.

"The underlying trend remains level for the local construction sector, though some softness is coming in the residential and government sectors with declining housing sales and the ending of [government] stimulus plans," Sashaw said.

(prepared by Derrick Penner/Vancouver Sun)