In Central Ontario’s eight metropolitan areas, total ICI permit values were up by 29% overall in January-May compared to the same period in 2016. Guelph and Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo both had very slight declines in total ICI permit values while ICI permit values increased in the other six metropolitan areas. At the sector-level, industrial, commercial and institutional permit values in Central Ontario’s metropolitan areas had similar increases overall (34%, 23% and 36%, respectively). Industrial permit activity in Hamilton increased dramatically, driven by the Woodward Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant project, while industrial permit values in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, St. Catharines-Niagara and Brantford were strong as well. In Toronto, Oshawa and Barrie, commercial permit values were up by over 35%. Institutional permit values more than doubled in Barrie and Hamilton, and more than tripled in Guelph and St. Catharines-Niagara.
