(Adds data, background)
OTTAWA, May 5 (Reuters) - The value of Canadian building
permits issued in March fell by 7.0 percent as construction
intentions in oil-producing Alberta dropped following a big jump
in February, Statistics Canada said on Thursday.
The decline - the second in three months - was greater than
the 5.0 percent retreat forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll.
The value of permits issued in Alberta - hard hit by a slump
in crude prices - fell by 41.3 percent. This followed a 43.3
percent increase in February on the back of a big commercial
project in the city of Edmonton.
Nationwide, the overall value of non-residential permits
fell by 22.8 percent on lower construction intentions for
recreational facilities, retail complexes, schools and
industrial buildings.
The value of residential building permits increased by 4.8
percent on higher construction intentions for multi-family
dwellings. The value of permits for single-family dwellings fell
slightly.
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Graphic - Canada building permits http://link.reuters.com/det73t
Graphic - Canada economic dashboard http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/15/sc-canada/index.html
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