The $74.4-million worth of building permits issued for the Hull area in February marked a 187.6% jump from January. The combined value of $100.3 million for January and February made for a 334.6% jump from the same time last year.
Nationally, there was a drop in the value of building permits issued in February as compared to the previous month. The $3.4-billion worth of building permits issued marked a 9.1% decline from January.
The value of non-residential permits dropped 17.9%, from an exceptionally plentiful January, to $1.5 billion. There was a 0.9% drop in the value of residential permits issued with $2 billion.
However, February's figure is 11% higher than the monthly average of 2000. And the first two months of this year combine for $7.2 billion worth of building permits, which is a 19.4% increase from the same period last year.
Permits issued in Canada's two biggest metropolitan centres, Toronto and Montreal, accounted for 75% of value growth for building permits in January and February.
The Ottawa area bettered the national trend on two accounts. The $127.8-million worth of permits issued in February marked a nine-percent increase from January, while the $245.2 million for the year's first two months was up 28.5% from the same time last year.
