Building permits in B.C.’s Lower Mainland dropped in April 2015 following a large increase in March, according to the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA).

Total building permits issued in the Lower Mainland-Southwest Region declined 28 per cent to $756.5 million compared to $1.056 billion in March 2015, according to data released June 8, 2015, by Statistics Canada.

Month over month, non-residential permits saw a large drop of 84 per cent in industrial permits, following a record high set in March, a 22 per cent decrease in commercial, and a four per cent slip in institutional-government permits. Residential permits were also down 28% primarily due to a large decline in multi-unit building permits.

“A pullback following a very high month is a typical occurrence for building permits,” said Fiona Famulak, VRCA president. “The decrease in April 2015 permits is not a sign of market weakness or of an imminent downturn in construction.  Permits were 76 per cent higher in April compared to the previous year”.

Abbotsford saw building permits decline 45 per cent to $10.1 million in April from $18.3 million in March. Non-residential building permits fell 74 per cent while residential permits decreased 21 per cent. No industrial permits were issued in April and institutional-government permits dropped dramatically to $87,000 from $6.2 million.  Commercial building permits saw a 225 per cent increase to $2.1 million, following three low months. Year over year, non-residential permits were 54 per cent lower at $2.1 million and residential permits were 46 per cent lower at $7.9 million.